After being reborn, all I want to do is run away.

Chapter 340 A Heart as Calm as a Still Lake

When Li Xiaoyi walked out of the Heavenly Sword Hall, Bai Lu was waiting for her outside.

“It seems there is something extraordinary behind Shuanghe Village. The Speaker actually brought you into the Heavenly Sword Hall. I regret why I stayed behind back then. Otherwise, I should have been the one following behind Shen Xu.” Bai Lu stared at Li Xiaoyi.

"After seeing the spatial turbulence, would you choose to go in with it?" Li Xiaoyi asked calmly.

Upon hearing Li Xiaoyi's question, Bai Lu fell silent.

"Didn't you hesitate even for a moment back then?" Bai Lu questioned.

"No!" Li Xiaoyi answered without the slightest hesitation.

Actually, her initial idea was to bring Shen Xu back, but it was too late. However, that didn't stop her from setting a trap for Bai Lu.

Sure enough, after hearing her answer, Bai Lu immediately fell into self-doubt.

"So you only have a slight liking for Shen Xu. It's not too late to let go now." Li Xiaoyi knew that once Bai Lu gave up on Shen Xu, Guan Bi would naturally stop bothering him.

Bai Lu didn't care, but Guan Bi was the key. Although she had never shown any affection for Shen Xu, she always felt that Guan Bi was a considerable threat.

"I want to go to Heart Lake first to tell Ye Zhi that you're back. She's been very worried about you," Bai Lu suddenly said.

Looking at Bai Lu's calm expression, Li Xiaoyi couldn't help but be a little surprised. This was not the Bai Lu she knew.

"Why are you looking at me like that? Only you would be interested in someone like Shen Xu. How could I possibly have any feelings for him? If it weren't for Aunt Lan's instructions, I wouldn't have had any contact with him after the sword selection," Bai Lu said with a disdainful expression.

"I'm sorry, Bai Lu." Li Xiaoyi silently apologized to Bai Lu in her heart.

The Black Lake is like a mirror, without ripples or blemishes, so deep that it seems to devour all light.

The wind passed by, but not a ripple was seen; only a chilling atmosphere lingered in the air, creating a suffocating silence.

In the center of the lake, there is a cluster of black palaces, like an isolated island, floating in this desolate landscape. Their reflections are clearly mirrored on the lake's surface, resembling another real palace, deep and mysterious, as if it were the entrance to another world.

In the distance, verdant mountains rise and fall, forming a boundary between life and death against the stillness of the lake.

Although the bright moon hanging high in the sky reflected on the lake, adding a touch of silvery-white light to the black surface and giving the lake a cooler atmosphere.

At that moment, a flying shuttle, illuminated by the moonlight, slowly landed on the floating island.

"I've come to see Ye Zhi. I wonder if she has time to see us now?" Bai Lu asked the person who came to greet her after getting off the flying shuttle.

"Miss Zhi instructed that she would take you to see her as soon as you arrived, Miss Bai. Please follow me."

Inside a completely black palace on a deserted island, Ye Zhi slowly opened her eyes, which were as dark as the night sky.

"Even in the Shadow Palace, I still find it too difficult to cultivate the 'Mysterious Light and Shadow Technique.' What am I missing?" Ye Zhi couldn't help but sigh deeply in the darkness.

Despite receiving Xinhu's full support, Ye Zhi was not happy at all. What she thought would be a simple task turned out like that.

Moreover, her father suddenly disappeared for some unknown reason, leaving only a note telling her to cultivate well and praising her for her good judgment. Only then did she realize what that bastard had done after trapping her in the Shadow Prison following the Sword Selection.

What good is her good taste? He already has so many good girls around him; she's insignificant among them.

Thinking of this, Ye Zhi couldn't help but sigh again. Whenever she thought about anything related to Shen Xu, she would be filled with endless worry for him and would be unable to concentrate on her cultivation.

Suddenly, she heard a very faint bell ring. She knew it was a signal that something urgent was calling her from outside. Her body slowly began to blend into the darkness of the hall. When she reappeared, she was already at the entrance of the Shadow Hall.

When she opened the door, she discovered a figure that surprised her greatly.

"Sister Xiao Yi! When did you come out? Where is Shen Xu?" Ye Zhi looked around but did not see Shen Xu, and her heart was filled with endless worry.

Li Xiaoyi frowned. She wanted to teach Shen Xu a lesson so he would behave himself. Had he thought about the consequences of provoking so many girls?

“He’s alright, he’s just unconscious. Do you want to come back with us?” Bai Lu explained.

"He's unconscious! What happened to him? Don't lie to me!" Ye Zhi couldn't help but become agitated.

“He’s really fine, you don’t need to worry. Besides, you’ll see how he is when you get back, right? We have absolutely no reason to lie to you.” Bai Lu couldn’t help but sigh when she saw Ye Zhi’s reaction.

She didn't know if recruiting Ye Zhi into the team was the right decision.

"That guy really is a womanizer! Let Li Xiaoyi go ahead and have her way! Bai Lu doesn't need a man at all!" Bai Lu thought through gritted teeth.

"Okay! I'll go back with you now." Hearing Bai Lu's words, Ye Zhi gradually calmed down. She was eager to see Shen Xu.

……

In the ancient forest, towering ancient trees all around reach into the clouds, their lush branches and leaves intertwined, resembling a natural green canopy.

At this moment, Shen Xu was sitting cross-legged in the center of the ancient forest with his eyes closed. The azure energy flowed slowly from the ancient trees like a trickle, eventually converging on the spot where he was.

As an invisible aura erupted from his body, his cultivation level reached the late stage of the Qi Condensation Realm.

More and more azure energy began to swirl and dance around his body, then completely enveloped him, seeping into his body through the pores of his skin, turning into drops of primordial liquid that entered his dantian.

However, compared to the energy absorbed by his body, most of the cyan energy was filled into the void in his soul.

He was also surprised to find that the cyan aura emanating from the void actually carried a trace of soul energy, which silently merged into his gray soul mist.

This situation allowed him to confirm that the red light that Blood Spirit had shot at him must have been absorbed by the void in his soul.

Clearly, the black seed used that blood-red light as nourishment. If that's the case, the mysterious black seed has probably already begun to take root and sprout in the void of his soul.

Although it seems that the black seed has indeed been quietly helping him repair his damaged soul.

However, faced with such an existence that was completely beyond his control, Shen Xu couldn't help but feel a sense of fear and apprehension deep down.

He couldn't be sure whether, if things continued this way, the black seed would continue to help him repair his soul and intend to coexist peacefully with him, or it would directly take over his soul.

He remembered Li Xiaoyi saying that the inner demons of the Four Directions Sword Alliance seemed to have the ability to solve his soul problems, but his soul problems were not ordinary problems, and the origin of the seed in his soul was not simple.

Whether one's inner demons are trustworthy is a question; let's not risk giving them a soul-reaping treatment later.