Zhang Chen was not a living Bodhisattva. If it weren’t for the fear that Shen Ling’s death would lead the Innate Water God to step into the Twelfth Tier, even with the favor of the old matriarch, he absolutely wouldn’t care about Shen Ling’s life or death.
But now Zhang Chen needed time to develop, so he had no choice but to intervene.
Thus, Zhang Chen had to get involved!
"Decree, resurrect!"
Zhang Chen activated the Yama Authority, and with its rhythm, Shen Ling’s heartbeat began to gradually recover, the powerful heartbeat spreading through the rain.
A wave of divine power spread across the void, halting the rain within a hundred feet.
Zhang Chen felt a wave of Innate Divine Water on Shen Ling; he possessed the Authority of Water Element and could sense all True Water Powers in Heaven and Earth, so naturally, he could feel the power of Innate Water reviving within Shen Ling.
"She devoured three spoonfuls of the Innate Water God’s blood and awakened the power of Innate Divine Water, which is fair enough," Zhang Chen mused.
However, now that the Innate Water God has been resurrected, any creature with the bloodline of the Innate Water God will be sensed. The stronger the bloodline power, the clearer the sense.
Now, the Innate Water God aims to devour worldly remaining Innate Water God bloodline to step into the Twelfth Tier, and Shen Ling is a great supplement among supplements; consuming her could solve all troubles, making Shen Ling a likely target.
Zhang Chen’s eyes gazed into the distance, revealing an unknown deep intent. The Sealing Rune on Shen Ling transformed into a stream of light and was withdrawn.
"What happened to me?" Shen Ling slowly opened her eyes, softly asking aloud. Her gaze encountered a gigantic tree crown, faint medicinal aroma in the air, and the sound of rain hitting the rocky walls.
"Now that you’re awake, hurry and leave," Zhang Chen said, sitting before the Alchemy Furnace, directing Shen Ling’s attention towards him.
The next moment, Shen Ling sat up abruptly, paused upon seeing Zhang Chen, then countless memories flooded her mind, and she screamed fiercely, "Zhang! Gao! Qiu!"
The voice was filled with endless hatred, seemingly capable of rattling the clouds of the nine heavens.
Shen Ling’s face was already fierce, but now paired with an angry expression, she appeared like a malicious ghost from the Asura Dao.
"Why am I here? Why are you here?" Shen Ling shouted in a low tone, turning her head to Zhang Chen and questioning.
Hearing this, Zhang Chen smiled lightly, "You died! You were pushed off the cliff, smashed into a pulp!"
Hearing this, memories surged in Shen Ling’s mind, "That’s right, I died! Zhang Gaoqiu pushed me off the cliff, then I was smashed into a pulp."
"Why am I still alive then?" Shen Ling asked Zhang Chen.
"I rescued you!" Zhang Chen replied.
"You rescued me?" Shen Ling was stunned.
"In these desolate hills, who else could save you but me?" Zhang Chen said.
Hearing this, Shen Ling stared at Zhang Chen, falling into silence.
"Not only did I save you, but I also enhanced your bloodline with Divine Medicine. A supreme power of Innate Divine Water flows through your being; you can try to harness that power," Zhang Chen said to Shen Ling.
Upon hearing this, Shen Ling froze, quickly closing her eyes to sense her bloodline. Soon, she opened her eyes, showing a hint of shock and fear, looking at Zhang Chen, "How did you do it?"
Zhang Chen didn’t answer but asked, "What type of Innate Divine Water do you control?"
Shen Ling’s eyes displayed a mysterious light, "A type that nourishes the soul, allowing one to perceive the operational laws of heaven and earth and see the clear water of heaven’s operations."
Zhang Chen was stunned, "Directly seeing the flow of heaven’s operational laws? Really? Such a water flow exists?"
Zhang Chen was completely stunned. He had painstakingly cultivated his Primordial Spirit, yet despite this, his daily understanding of the laws of heaven and earth was limited, while Shen Ling could harness a type of water flow that allowed for the comprehension of Heaven and Earth Laws simply by nourishing the soul?
Does such water flow truly exist?
"Not only can I see the operational laws amidst heaven and earth, but I can also sense and manipulate some threads of law, using them for myself, receiving information conveyed by these threads," Shen Ling’s voice carried an enigmatic tone.
This statement rendered Zhang Chen utterly silent!
The other party drank the blood of the Innate Water God, which allowed them to directly see the operation of Heaven and Earth’s laws. What does my painstaking cultivation count for?
"No, the laws I see are only those related to water." Shen Ling corrected Zhang Chen.
Zhang Chen suddenly remembered a line from a novel in his previous life: "At the creation of the world, there were gods, and gods were one with the Dao."
"Gods at the creation of the world, gods one with the Dao. Innate Divine Spirits are naturally in command of the Law of Water. If the other party drank three spoonfuls of Innate Divine Spirit’s blood and could see the Law of Water operating in the world, it doesn’t seem like something hard to understand." Zhang Chen thought of this, and his heart calmed down.
Although the other party could see Heaven and Earth’s laws, they were specialized. I cultivate the Primordial Spirit, and though my understanding of Heaven and Earth’s laws is slow, I can see the operation laws of all Heaven and Earth.
Thinking of this, Zhang Chen calmed down and continued focusing on the alchemy furnace, refining the elixir of the Eight-Treasure Heart-lock Pill.
"Zhang Chen, thank you! I never expected that despite how badly I’ve treated you in the past, you would still save me." Shen Ling’s gaze softened, her voice carrying a hint of tenderness, filled with inexplicable emotion.
But her gentle demeanor, combined with her ugly face, made Zhang Chen’s hair stand on end.
He wanted to vomit!
"I only did it for the sake of the old lady. Don’t overthink it. Now that you’re revived, quickly leave." Zhang Chen gestured to chase Shen Ling away.
Despite hearing this, Shen Ling refused to leave. Instead, she stubbornly looked at Zhang Chen: "You saw me die, yet you went to great lengths to save me. Do you still love me? I... I... I’ve changed now, I know how good you are. If you still like me, I’m willing to..."
Before Shen Ling could finish, Zhang Chen harshly interrupted her: "Enough! I saved you only for the old lady of the Shen family. Now you’re already fallen; how could you be worthy of me?"
Zhang Chen didn’t care how hurtful his words were. Regardless of how sad the other person was, he wouldn’t care.
"Do you wish to repay kindness with enmity?" Zhang Chen asked Shen Ling.
Shen Ling was stunned at his words, her face turning pale, and with her already damaged face, she seemed even more ghastly and terrifying.
"I know my words may hurt, but you’re already fallen, and I definitely won’t marry you. I advise you to be kind and not repay kindness with enmity!" Zhang Chen said, "I suggest you quash these thoughts early. I’m clarifying it now to prevent you from harboring improper thoughts in the future and causing more trouble."
Hearing this, Shen Ling gave a bitter smile, her eyes staring blankly at Zhang Chen sitting in front of the tripod cauldron. Her mind was in turmoil, both joyful and sorrowful.
Why had she never noticed that the young man before her, though not striking in appearance, was definitely not ugly? Upon closer inspection, he was rather pleasing to the eye.
Even if he was just standing there simply, he gave off an inexplicable sense of calm. It felt as if... he was very trustworthy, possessing a transcendence that was difficult to describe, as if he had leaped out of the mundane world, beyond the Three Realms and the Five Elements.
"Miss Shen, you should leave now. Don’t disturb my peace here." Zhang Chen lightly knocked on the alchemy furnace, releasing a clear sound, pulling Shen Ling back to reality.
With Zhang Chen’s words, Shen Ling panicked, hastily saying: "Thank you for today, I’m leaving. You... you... I’ll repay you in the future."
"As long as you don’t talk about ’repaying with your body,’ it’s the best repayment you can give me." Zhang Chen sneered, waving his hand: "Hurry up and leave, don’t disturb my alchemy."
Faced with Zhang Chen’s coldness and dismissal, Shen Ling felt an indescribable sense of defeat. Her mood turned gloomy: "I understand." She said through gritted teeth: "I will find Zhang Gaoqiu to settle the score. Today, I’ll have a life-and-death battle with that despicable scoundrel. I want him to know my power! I want to ruin him."
After saying this, her form transformed into a mist, disappearing into the mountains.
"What a brilliant bloodline superpower, truly amazing." Zhang Chen praised, his eyes showing curiosity: "It seems that after Shen Ling awakened her Innate Bloodline, the abilities she mastered far exceeded my imagination."
With a look of surprise in his eyes, Zhang Chen displayed a watchful expression: "That boy Zhang Gaoqiu wanted to frame me for plotting against Shen Ling. Now I’m curious to see how he will explain when facing Shen Ling’s wrath."
Meanwhile, as Shen Ling appeared outside the Exquisite Tower, her grotesque face caused countless onlookers to scream in horror, their voices filled with dread.
"A ghost!" someone cried out in fear upon seeing Shen Ling, with disheveled hair, a face covered in bloodstains, and a flat visage, fainting on the spot with eyes rolling back.
"What? Why are they looking at me like that?" Shen Ling heard the calls in her ear, disbelief in her eyes: "Are they afraid of me?"
Shen Ling noticed something was wrong, causing numerous disciples to scatter wherever she went.
Realizing the problem, Shen Ling hurriedly gathered a Water Mirror, seeing the terrifying face in the reflection without a nose. Her entire body shook, disbelief filling her eyes as she trembled to touch her own face.
"How could this be? How could this be?" Shen Ling’s eyes were full of disbelief.
"Ah..." Shen Ling let out a desperate scream filled with unexplainable despair: "Zhang Gaoqiu!!!"