Chapter 164: Relying on Each Other for Survival

Liuying.

Su Ye suddenly wanted to call out, but the moment he opened his mouth, seawater rushed directly into his throat.

Just as he found himself helpless, the pitch-black demonic blood deep within his sea of consciousness suddenly stirred. This was the cursed blood originally drawn from Jiang Ziyang's body, also known as the Undying Demonic Blood. According to Jiang Ziyang, it was a legacy passed down from their ancestor, Chiyou.

Such powerful demonic blood was something even the *Three Thousand Flames and Yellow Tribulation* could not eradicate.

Yet, at this very moment, it unexpectedly stirred.

It felt as though the demonic blood was about to transform into countless tentacles, extending outward to completely envelop his entire body.

Could this demonic blood actually possess a protective function?

The thought had barely crossed Su Ye's mind when an inexplicable and bizarre notion arose within him: the *Three Thousand Flames and Yellow Tribulation* he practiced suddenly developed an urge to reverse its operation.

To execute the *Three Thousand Flames and Yellow Tribulation* in reverse?

However, recalling the final words of the Spirit Crow he had heard earlier—"Do not approach the Yangtze, cross not the Yellow River, die ten thousand deaths before reversing the Sovereign's Law!"—how could there suddenly be an urge to invert the *Three Thousand Flames and Yellow Tribulation*?

Boom!

The very instant that thought arose, the dormant *Three Thousand Flames and Yellow Tribulation* suddenly surged. A rolling, ancient force erupted furiously, as if refusing to allow the demonic blood even the slightest chance of reversal.

Rumble!

Boundless energy poured into his limbs and bones in an instant. The fractured bones in his body were forcefully reconnected and regenerated, and all his injuries healed completely within the span of a few breaths.

Is this the power of the Human Sovereign's Law?

Su Ye's mind and body trembled, but he had no time to revel in this joy. He abruptly shifted his true qi, and his entire body shot upward like an angry dragon through the seawater, hurtling directly toward Jiang Liuying ahead.

Behind him, a long trail of white spray formed, standing out vividly against the clear blue water.

Bang!

Su Ye caught Jiang Liuying in his arms in an instant. His heart trembled as he realized that almost all the bones in her body seemed to be fractured, and dark blood was continuously welling from her nostrils.

Roar! Roar!

Suddenly, deep-sea roars echoed through the abyssal water. Evidently, the marine beasts in the vicinity had discovered the two of them and were swimming over.

Su Ye swept his gaze across the area and realized that the approaching creatures were not ordinary marine beasts, but behemoths at least dozens of meters in size. A single bite from such terrifying creatures could swallow them both whole.

Damn it, when a person's luck is down, even drinking cold water can choke them.

Clutching Jiang Liuying, Su Ye broke through the water's surface, took a few greedy breaths of air, and then slammed a fierce palm downward against the water. With a loud bang, he leaped out of the surface and landed steadily, treading upon the waves.

He glanced back and saw an increasing number of marine beasts swarming toward them. These creatures were particularly fond of preying on cultivators possessed of true qi.

Swish, swish, swish—

Clutching Jiang Liuying, Su Ye skimmed across the surface of the waves, rushing toward the desolate island of Thunder City.

Yet, fast as he was, he could not match the speed of those marine beasts.

Roar—

A gurgling roar resounded as a terrifying marine beast closed in, its blood-red maw suddenly gaping wide to snap at Su Ye.

Its sharp, jagged fangs were bared, capable of snapping swords and blades with a single bite.

Beast! You dare be so presumptuous!

Su Ye leaped violently, executed a flip in mid-air, and landed heavily upon the beast's back. With a fierce stomp, he caved in a large portion of its spine with a loud crash, and dark beast blood instantly welled up.

The smell of blood spread instantly, and the surrounding marine beasts caught the scent, surging forward with frenzied appetite.

Su Ye's heart skipped a beat. He leaped aside, rapidly bouncing across the backs of several surfacing marine beasts, caving in their bodies with deep wounds as well. Seeing them begin to tear into one another in a frenzy, he leaped far away toward the distance.

Behind him lay a scene of carnage, accompanied by the endless roars of marine beasts.

With great difficulty, Su Ye finally reached the shore. This could be considered a fortunate blessing amidst disaster, as he had fallen quite close to the desolate island of Thunder City. Had they fallen into the center of the ocean, he doubted he could have made it back to land.

Liuying, Liuying—

Su Ye laid Jiang Liuying upon the shore and reached out to check her breath, finding she was still breathing. This brought a measure of relief. He immediately inspected her body and discovered that many of her bones were indeed dislocated, and her hands were severely swollen in multiple places.

The injuries were only this moderate because Su Ye had shielded her in his arms underwater; otherwise, they would have been far more severe.

After just a few glances, Su Ye suddenly noticed that Jiang Liuying was clutching a conch in her hand—the very storage conch he had previously tossed to Ouyang Mu. He never expected this little girl to have snatched it back.

You truly are a fool!

Su Ye's nose suddenly stung. He reached out, gently uncurled her fingers, retrieved the storage conch, and channeled his true qi to open it, extracting a medicinal pill.

Inside his storage conch was a special pill Ouyang Yunfeng had given him, possessing the miraculous divine power of flesh and blood regeneration.

Who would have thought it would come in handy so soon?

He had no idea where Ouyang Yunfeng had acquired such a bizarre pill, but it seemed Thunder City had concealed quite a few rare treasures. The moment he placed the pill into Jiang Liuying's mouth, it melted within seconds.

Jiang Liuying's throat moved as she swallowed the dissolved medicine.

I have no idea if this pill will work, but I should play it safe! Su Ye retrieved several other bottles of medicine from the storage conch—supplies they had prepared before setting out.

These pills were top-tier items, possessing formidable restorative effects for both internal and external injuries.

Hmm? Before Su Ye could administer a second type of pill, he noticed that Jiang Liuying was beginning to regain consciousness.

Liuying, Liuying.

Dazed and extremely weak, Jiang Liuying opened her eyes. A peculiar surge of true qi slowly rippled around her, revealing that the cultivation technique she practiced was by no means ordinary.

She looked at Su Ye, as if wanting to say something, before breaking into a fit of coughing.

Cough, cough...

Don't speak. You're fine. Just rest well. Everything is fine, I'm here! Su Ye quickly embraced her and whispered words of comfort.

After catching her breath for a long moment, Jiang Liuying spoke in a halting, intermittent voice: "Did you... did you just give me artificial respiration?"

"You, you... no, no." Su Ye was overflowing with deep emotion, yet the very first thing Jiang Liuying asked about was this. It seemed she was still holding a grudge over the time he had kissed her back at school.

"That's good... if I find out you kissed me while I was unconscious, I won't let you off," Jiang Liuying whispered weakly.

Su Ye felt his teeth itch with exasperation. He simply could not fathom what was going on inside Jiang Liuying's head. In such a dire and miserable situation, she was still hung up on this matter. Perhaps for a girl like her, the greater the danger to life and death, the more she cared about such things.

Don't talk anymore. I just gave you some medicine. Your true qi seems to be repairing your body automatically. Just rest well. Tell me, where does it hurt? Fearing there might be hidden internal injuries he was unaware of, Su Ye asked urgently.

Jiang Liuying offered a poignant, bitter smile. Apprehending how weak she truly was, she obediently closed her eyes.

Su Ye smiled helplessly, lifting his gaze to the distant horizon. The sky above was cloudless, leaving no trace of the giant vulture's flight.

It was as if everything that had occurred here had merely been an illusion.

It was a profound sense of desolation, as if abandoned by the entire world. Were they destined to live out their days here from now on?

He slowly turned his gaze back to Jiang Liuying, who was resting. This foolish girl—did she not realize that jumping down could have cost her her life, trapping her to live here forever? He truly wondered whether jumping down with him was the right choice. Suddenly, Su Ye felt a deep sense of depending on each other for survival with Jiang Liuying.

Staring at her quietly, Su Ye found himself lost in a trance.

Before he knew it, twilight had arrived. The entire sky was bathed in a brilliant, dazzling golden hue, looking exceptionally gorgeous and mesmerizing.

Having lived in Thunder City for so many days prior, he had never realized the sunset here could be so breathtaking.

"I'm hungry." Suddenly, a soft, crisp voice broke the silence, sounding exceedingly weak.

Su Ye's body trembled as he snapped out of his trance. Looking at Jiang Liuying, an ineffable emotion welled up in his heart, and he whispered, "You're awake. How do you feel?"

"My whole body aches, and I'm very hungry." Jiang Liuying struggled to sit up.

Su Ye hurriedly went to support her, secretly marveling at Jiang Liuying's special constitution, as she had already recovered quite a bit. He whispered, "I have food here. Don't move around. I'll feed you in a moment."

With that, he retrieved some food from the storage conch.

Jiang Liuying gave him a feeble, sideways glance and muttered, "Why? Suddenly being so nice to me... did you poison it?"

Normally, when hearing her retort like this, Su Ye would have been irritated enough to snap back, but right now, it filled him with a sense of warm familiarity. His nose tingled slightly as he pried open a snack packet and whispered:

"You... you shouldn't have jumped down. Why were you so foolish?"

Jiang Liuying had initially intended to make a joke, but seeing Su Ye's expression, she felt a sudden tug at her heartstrings. Recalling the past, she murmured softly:

"Do you remember when you first came to my house?"

"Hmm?" Su Ye didn't know what she was referring to. When he first arrived at the Jiang family, he was only ten years old—over seven years ago. He couldn't recall what significance it held.

Jiang Liuying murmured softly, "Back then, my brother had left me, and my father was deeply depressed, rarely ever home. I felt so lonely. There were so many people in the Jiang family, but not a single person played with me, and I didn't want to see them either. I understood that loneliness. I knew what it felt like to be completely alone every single night. I was so terrified..."

At this, Jiang Liuying slowly raised her head, revealing her delicate and stunning face. In that moment, she displayed a rarely seen vulnerable side, her eyes filled with boundless tenderness as she whispered:

"I knew that kind of absolute loneliness is something no one can endure alone. I didn't want to watch you stay behind here all by yourself. So... I jumped."