Chapter 22: The Vajra in Desperation

The great battle had reached its end. As the griffin vanished into ashes, Shen Luoxi exhausted her final sliver of spiritual energy.

Chu Linfeng habitually turned to support her, though the gesture was largely redundant.

"Whoosh!"

Deprived of the support of her Sky-Piercing Realm energy, the two plummeted instantly, piercing through the clouds as a hurricane roared in their ears.

"Chu Linfeng, I’m sorry..." Shen Luoxi gripped his arm tightly, unable to hold back a sob. "I never realized... so this is what it feels like to have no sea of qi."

She tried to summon her internal energy, but her abdomen felt hollow. The crushing sense of powerlessness struck at her heart, leaving her in agonizing pain. She couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow—how had this peerless genius beside her endured this for the past three years?

"Stop talking and focus on regulating your breath," Chu Linfeng interrupted her sobbing. Even now, he maintained a level of rationality rare in others, shouting from his chest, "Listen to me! We are in freefall from ten thousand meters. We have about three minutes before we hit the ground. Adjust your breathing and restore your spiritual power quickly!"

Seeing Shen Luoxi obey, Chu Linfeng breathed a sigh of relief, then shouted again, "But once you recover that energy, it will be enough to support only one person! You cannot carry me! Otherwise, we will both be smashed to pieces!"

Shen Luoxi gripped his arm even tighter. "No! I’m holding onto you. Chu Linfeng, you must not let go!"

Chu Linfeng shook his head firmly. "Luoxi, live on. If there is a next life, let us meet in a different way."

"No!" Shen Luoxi clung to his arm. "Chu Linfeng, I don't want a next life. We will live together!"

Chu Linfeng didn't reply. Instead, he grabbed her hand and shoved it away with force. As her grip failed, the two separated. In that final moment, Chu Linfeng smiled at her, a gesture of reconciliation for all past grievances.

He then spread his limbs, letting the gale buffet him. In this final moment of his life, he didn't want to die like a coward; he wanted to strike the most relaxed pose possible.

The corners of his mouth turned up slightly as he closed his eyes, sighing to himself: Life had been a bit short, but like a summer flower, he had bloomed; like an autumn leaf, he had been brilliant. Before the end, he had seen the sunset above the clouds—it was the highlight of his life. It was worth it.

"Chu Linfeng!!! No! Ah!!!"

In despair, Shen Luoxi watched him break free, right before her eyes. Her heart felt as if it were being torn apart. She tried to roll over to grab him, but she was powerless to do so.

A shrill, piercing scream echoed through the sky. Suddenly, the meridians within her body began to tremble uncontrollably.

When Chu Linfeng had moments ago drained his sea of qi to summon the heavenly thunder, the surge of massive spiritual energy flooding into her meridians had already pushed her cultivation from the fourth to the fifth level of the Sky-Piercing Realm. As the energy continued to drain from her dantian into her palms, the subtle blockages in her meridians were cleared, nudging her toward the fifth realm.

With that scream, Shen Luoxi miraculously broke through in her moment of desperation!

It was the most difficult barrier for a human to cross on the path to immortality—the Great Vajra Realm, of which there were fewer than thirty in all of China. Yet, that barrier had been shattered by her cry.

Within the same realm, increasing one's cultivation level wouldn't normally restore spiritual energy instantly, but a breakthrough was the exception.

Shen Luoxi, who had been falling at high speed, suddenly hovered in mid-air. The surrounding air compressed and rushed into her sea of qi, acting like a supercharger that filled her internal energy to the brim.

"BOOM!" An explosion erupted from the airport tarmac, accompanied by a pillar of dust. A row of tempered glass windows in the terminal shattered, startling everyone.

The crowd, who had just scrambled back into the terminal, turned back in shock. Tang Cai and Tang Xie, who had been downed by high-voltage electricity, slowly rose to their feet, staring at the smoke.

As the dust settled, a deep crater was visible in the concrete. From within it, a figure in a black leather jacket stepped out with dashing grace. It was none other than the pride of the capital, Shen Luoxi.

The onlookers were stunned, for in her slender arms, she held a man—none other than the unlucky youth, Chu Linfeng, who had been pursued by the giant eagle and sent into the sky.

A six-foot-tall man was being carried bridal-style by a petite woman. To say nothing of the shocked crowd, even Chu Linfeng—who could spout cheesy pickup lines without blinking—felt deeply humiliated. He pressed his face against her chest, pretending to be unconscious, not daring to make a sound.

"Do you know?" Shen Luoxi whispered as she walked. "Three years ago, I also carried you back from the East Sea to East Ping Lake like this."

Chu Linfeng’s face flushed red, as if he had downed a liter of strong liquor. He buried his head even deeper.

By the time she reached the two sisters, Chu Linfeng was still playing dead. The two women burst into loud wails.

"Chu Linfeng, you promised not to leave us! How could you go before we did..."

"He’s fine!" Shen Luoxi said flatly. She knew he was faking, especially since his heartbeat had spiked an octave the moment she mentioned carrying him three years ago.

"Huh? He’s fine? Is he just unconscious?" The two women shifted from grief to joy, hurrying to confirm.

Shen Luoxi glanced down at Chu Linfeng, whose ears were burning red. A faint blush crept onto her own face as she couldn't help but say, "Are you not getting down yet? Do you want me to keep carrying you? Everyone at the airport is watching!"

The crowd wasn't just watching; nine out of ten were holding their communication devices, snapping photos frantically. There was no doubt they would be in the headlines by tonight.

Chu Linfeng shuddered and scrambled out of her arms. "Huh? Where am I? What happened? Hey! Tang Cai, Tang Xie, why are you here? Have... have you eaten?"

Tang Xie realized immediately that the kid had been faking it. Then, seeing Shen Luoxi’s flushed face, she felt a surge of alarm. This was a case of a prize pig being snatched by a head of cabbage!

"Eaten? Eat your grandmother’s spicy cabbage! Chu! Lin! Feng!"

Chu Linfeng sensed danger and prepared to bolt, but Tang Xie was faster. She grabbed him by the collar and sent him flying with a Vajra-style strike.

"Xie'er! Listen to my side of the story! Don't be impulsive! I really was unconscious... Ah! Don't hit the face! Not the lower parts either!"

Though Tang Xie wasn't using her cultivation, her punches still left their mark, making Chu Linfeng howl. Tang Cai stood by without stopping her; she wasn't a fool—not joining in was already a massive act of mercy for this scoundrel.

Shen Luoxi, however, felt a bit disgruntled. She hadn't figured out the relationship between these two women and Chu Linfeng, and now it looked like they were taking advantage of his good looks to commit assault.

"Stop!"

With a sharp shout, the concrete floor beneath her feet cracked. A rumbling aura swept through the air like a bell tolling, lingering in the ears.

Tang Xie, who had been kneeling and beating Chu Linfeng, was sent flying several meters by the aura. Tang Cai was forced back several steps.

"Aura like a bell! You’re in the Vajra Realm!" Tang Cai gasped. She couldn't believe it. Just moments ago, this woman had been at the third or fourth level of the Sky-Piercing Realm. She had never heard of anyone jumping levels like this; it was like a primary school student skipping straight to a top-tier university degree!

"Sister!" Tang Xie scrambled up and ran to Tang Cai, wanting to complain, but Tang Cai grabbed her arm, fearing her sister would do something rash. After all, a Vajra Realm expert was someone even the Peak Master of the Ethereal Peak would fear.

Tang Xie noticed the signs too and secretly probed her energy, her eyes widening like saucers. How was it possible? She looked only twenty, not much older than her sister. Before today, the only person in China who had reached the Vajra Realm in their twenties was Ling Yun, the top-ranked genius on the Immortal Seeking List!

On the ground, Chu Linfeng patted his ringing head and scrambled up. *Oh no!* he thought. *Rivals meet and eyes turn red—this is going to be a brawl!* He had no cultivation left; if these three women started fighting, he wouldn't be able to stop them.

"Misunderstanding! It’s a misunderstanding!" Chu Linfeng stepped between them. He smiled awkwardly at Shen Luoxi. "Luoxi, it's fine. My skin is thick. That little girl was just playing around."

"What did you call her? 'Luoxi'? Chu Linfeng, you two-timing scoundrel!" Tang Xie shouted in shock. She regretted letting them go to the airport together. Now they were truly stuck together!

"Tang Xie! Stop it!" the rational sister, Tang Cai, pinched her sister's hand to signal her to stay calm.

Chu Linfeng felt like crying. Tang Xie was usually blunt and naive, but now she was just being foolish. He had addressed Shen Luoxi intimately to ease the tension, hoping to smooth things over. Didn't she realize they were no match for a Vajra Realm expert?

Just as the atmosphere turned awkward, a sonic boom echoed in the sky!

A middle-aged man in a suit descended from above. Chu Linfeng looked up: Li Chenqian!

"Master!" Shen Luoxi knelt on one knee and bowed.

*Master?* The two sisters were puzzled. After a faint probe, they turned pale. Another Vajra Realm expert, and his sea of qi was even more profound!

*What is this? A soap opera?* Tang Xie thought. *Shen Luoxi, you can handle us with a single finger, and you still called for reinforcements?*

"Luoxi, get up," Li Chenqian said, landing beside her.

Seeing Li Chenqian, Chu Linfeng stepped back between the two sisters, choosing his side.

Tang Cai and Tang Xie were moved to tears by his loyalty. Tang Xie pinched his waist and whispered, "I suppose you have a conscience after all!"

Li Chenqian glanced at the three of them, his eyes lighting up when he saw Chu Linfeng. He asked Shen Luoxi with a smile, "Luoxi, where is that demon beast? The heavens changed color and thunder roared on my way here—you must have had a fierce battle!"

"Reporting to Master, we did have a great battle. The demon beast has been reduced to ashes!"

"Reduced to ashes?" Li Chenqian found it hard to believe. He probed Shen Luoxi’s sea of qi and was pleasantly surprised. "Luoxi! You’ve broken through to the Vajra Realm! Wonderful! Wonderful! At your age..."

"Master! I cannot take the credit. That beast was slain by Chu Linfeng! My breakthrough was also thanks to him!"

"Chu Linfeng?" Li Chenqian was even more shocked. He immediately probed Chu Linfeng’s sea of qi. *Empty! No cultivation!*

"Master, I will explain later. Let us solve the problem at hand first," Shen Luoxi said.

The two sisters grew nervous, grabbing Chu Linfeng’s arms and waist. "Chu Linfeng, come here. With us and our Master, you have nothing to fear!"

Li Chenqian looked at Chu Linfeng, who was being sandwiched like a prisoner, and then at the two sisters. One was a stunning beauty, the other petite and delicate. He immediately understood what Shen Luoxi meant. *The boy has been abducted by two demonesses.*

"Let go of Chu Linfeng and leave now, and I, Li Chenqian, will spare your lives!"

The two sisters trembled. Li Chenqian, one of the Four Pillars of China! They hadn't expected the upright Li Chenqian to use his power to help his disciple snatch a man in public!

Tang Cai steadied herself. "We have long admired your reputation, Senior, and dare not defy you. But is it right for a senior of your standing to use your cultivation to bully two young women and snatch a man away? Please reconsider!"

Shen Luoxi didn't want to argue. She stepped forward to grab Chu Linfeng. The sisters panicked and pulled him back.

"Shen Luoxi! What are you doing?" Chu Linfeng roared.

Shen Luoxi paused, stunned by his shout. "Chu Linfeng, tell me honestly, have you been kidnapped by these two?"

"Kidnapped???"

All three were dumbfounded. *So that's what they thought.*

"You're the one who’s kidnapping! We are betrothed to our husband by our parents—it's completely legitimate!" Tang Xie shouted angrily.

"Betrothed?" Shen Luoxi felt as if she had been struck by lightning. Her body swayed, and Li Chenqian had to reach out to steady her.

"Chu Linfeng, is what she says true?" Li Chenqian asked.

"You old goat! Whether it's true or not, what is it to you?" Chu Linfeng barked.

The two sisters were shocked by his bluntness. Li Chenqian was also stunned, but he didn't get angry. "It is natural for you to be angry with me. I won't hold it against you. Come back with me!"

"Back? Back where? To that crumbling courtyard to receive your charity?"

"Chu Linfeng! Stop being willful! I am doing this for your own good! Xue'er is innocent, and she is still searching for you frantically!"

Hearing his daughter’s name, Li Chenqian’s tone softened with pain.

*Li Xiaoxue? She’s searching for me?* Chu Linfeng felt a pang in his heart.

Shen Luoxi, having regained her composure, felt a surge of possessiveness. She wanted to bring him back—whether to the academy or by her side.

"Linfeng, above the clouds earlier, you said you wanted to see the sunset. I promise you, come with me, and I will take you to see it right now, and every day after."

Shen Luoxi’s confession left Chu Linfeng dazed and the two sisters feeling as if their souls had left their bodies...