After Rebirth, the Love-Struck Cannon Fodder Woke Up - Chapter 30

Chapter 30: Core Formation

◎ True Essence Condenses into Core, Abnormality First Appears ◎

Shen Anlan heard the words, but the strength with which she held the girl did not lessen in the slightest.

“I can’t! Once I let go, Lianxin will definitely run far away.”

The girl gently reassured her: “Senior Sister, don’t worry, I absolutely won’t run.”

“I don’t believe you!” At this moment, Shen Anlan was extremely insecure. Only by holding the person could she feel a slight sense of peace.

Du Lianxin was helpless and persuaded softly: “Senior Sister, I really won’t go anywhere. You are still injured. Please let go of me, okay? I will give Senior Sister some Bl00d Coagulation and Spirit Restoration Pills.”

Shen Anlan refused: “That elixir is too bitter. I don’t want to eat it.”

“Good medicine tastes bitter. If you don’t take the elixir, Senior Sister’s recovery will be very slow. In the end, won’t you still be the one suffering?”

“This small injury is nothing to me. Lianxin, don’t think about taking the opportunity to escape!”

“Senior Sister, be rational. I said I’m not trying to run.”

Shen Anlan inhaled the elegant body fragrance from the girl’s neck, was silent for a moment, and asked sullenly in return: “Really?”

“Absolutely true!”

After saying this, Du Lianxin waited a little longer, only to find that the strength with which she was being held had not lessened at all.

“Senior Sister?”

“Lianxin smells very good. It’s more comfortable to keep holding you.”

The girl was angry with shame. “Senior Sister, you are going back on your word!”

“How so? I didn’t promise Lianxin that I would definitely let go.”

“Heh, I never knew Senior Sister was such a person.”

“No one is perfect. I am inherently two-faced. Lianxin should have known that a long time ago.”

Hearing these words, for a moment, Du Lianxin thought Shen Anlan had been possessed.

Was the person behind her truly the same cold and emotionless Great Senior Sister of the sect?

Could a person change so drastically between one life and the next?

As this thought arose, Du Lianxin quickly thought of herself, then gave a self-mocking smile.

Wasn’t she the same?

In the previous life, she was focused on pursuing Shen Anlan. After being reborn, she only wanted to stay away from her.

“Senior Sister, can you… please not be like this?”

“I can’t!”

Shen Anlan still held onto the person, refusing to let go.

Du Lianxin had a headache. Just as she was about to continue persuading, a streak of light suddenly approached from the distance.

She focused her gaze and saw that the newcomer was clad in a fiery red Immortal Retention Skirt—it was Feng Ruo, whom Shen Anlan had trapped with the Spirit Suppressing Pagoda not long ago.

She originally disliked this woman, but now, seeing her arrive, she felt a slight joy in her heart. This way, Senior Sister surely wouldn’t continue holding her.

However… events often unfold unexpectedly.

Feng Ruo was now close to the soundproofing restriction, but Shen Anlan showed no sign of releasing the girl in her arms, still holding her tightly.

Du Lianxin began to struggle. “Senior Sister, Senior Feng is coming. Please let go of me first.”

Shen Anlan started throwing a tantrum. “Doesn’t Lianxin dislike her? What does it matter if she sees us? Or are you lying to me? Do you like her after all?”

The girl tried multiple times but could not break free. She was unwilling to use forceful methods that would harm the person behind her and felt somewhat discouraged.

“Senior Sister, do you think it’s appropriate for outsiders to see us like this?”

Shen Anlan seized the key point in her words, and her eyes curved with a smile. “Lianxin thinks Feng Ruo is an outsider?”

“If not an outsider, what else could she be?”

“What about me?”

Du Lianxin pursed her lips and said flatly: “Of course, a Senior Sister from the same sect.”

Shen Anlan was dissatisfied. “Is that all?”

Du Lianxin nodded firmly. “Yes, that’s all. Since Senior Sister has confirmed it, please let go of me.”

Shen Anlan refused, still clinging tightly to the girl.

Just then, Feng Ruo attacked the restriction covering the surroundings. Accompanied by a rumbling sound, the soundproofing restriction slowly dissipated.

Looking at the two people tightly embracing, a hint of shadow flashed across Feng Ruo’s face.

With her eyesight, she naturally saw the girl’s unwillingness and immediately attacked Shen Anlan.

The embrace that had been restraining the girl finally loosened at this moment.

Du Lianxin gained her freedom and quickly flew away from the two.

Through this incident, she was sufficiently wary of Shen Anlan and would never let the other party easily approach her again!

In fact, with the Purple Luo Heavenly Flame acknowledging her master and her advancement to the Foundation Establishment Completion realm, it wouldn’t have been difficult to truly break free from the restraint, given Shen Anlan’s injured state. However, using those methods would, without exception, injure the other party.

Leaving aside the matters of the past, Shen Anlan was the most valued prodigy of the Clear River Sect. The sect already had regulations against infighting among disciples.

Du Lianxin had already struck Senior Sister once. If she injured her again, upon returning, if the Sect Leader and the elders of the various peaks found out, she would not escape sect punishment…

At this moment, Feng Ruo and Shen Anlan were fighting fiercely.

Neither of their injuries had fully recovered. After a long time, their injuries would only worsen.

Fortunately, the Bl00d Coagulation and Spirit Restoration Pills Du Lianxin had refined earlier were sufficient. After watching for a while, she simply ignored the two, immediately conjured a streak of light, and sped away into the distance.

As soon as she left, the two fighting figures simultaneously chased after her.

The Holy Land was vast. Both Shen Anlan and Feng Ruo were worried that the girl would find a place to hide where they couldn’t find her.

After advancing to the Foundation Establishment Completion realm, Du Lianxin’s strength had greatly increased. Her speed was no longer slower than that of the two injured individuals.

After speeding for a while, she noticed that the two who had been fighting were chasing after her. She simply cast the unique secret technique of the Clear River Sect, the Spirit Controlling and Form Shifting Art, to further accelerate her speed.

This spell was limited to cultivators with a Wood Spiritual Root. This way, she quickly left the two far behind.

While flying, Du Lianxin remembered something.

The Lotus Jade Hairpin in her hair was a gift from Shen Anlan. Back in Donglin Town, Senior Sister had used this Jade Hairpin to cast a secret technique and locate her position.

To completely get rid of Senior Sister, she had to take off the Jade Hairpin.

Thinking of this, Du Lianxin reached out without hesitation and pulled off the Lotus Jade Hairpin from her hair.

Before long, she returned to the place where the three had gathered, left behind two jade bottles containing Bl00d Coagulation and Spirit Restoration Pills, and placed the Jade Hairpin next to them. Then, without stopping, she continued flying forward.

She thought to herself that this was a good opportunity to escape the entanglement of the two and find a place to cultivate in peace.

After about thirty breaths, Shen Anlan and Feng Ruo arrived at the location where the elixirs were placed.

Looking at the Lotus Jade Hairpin left to the side, which should have been worn in the girl’s hair, their expressions were different.

Feng Ruo laughed outright. “Fellow Daoist Shen, it seems Lianxin truly doesn’t want to have any more connection with you.”

Shen Anlan crouched down, picked up the Jade Hairpin, the expression in her eyes dark and unclear.

Feng Ruo noticed the red and swollen wound on her lip and snorted coldly. “I really didn’t expect that the usually cold and emotionless celestial being would resort to forcibly kissing someone. No wonder Lianxin is avoiding Fellow Daoist Shen like this.”

With that, she tapped her toes on the ground, flew into the air again, and pursued the girl’s tracks.

Shen Anlan held the Lotus Jade Hairpin in her palm, the obsession revealed in her eyes astonishing.

“Lianxin, you can’t escape!”

At the same moment, the girl a thousand li away suddenly felt a chill instantly envelop her. The hair on her body stood on end, and she shivered.

Du Lianxin didn’t know why she suddenly had this reaction. Her face was slightly pale, but her speed did not decrease at all.

Inside the Holy Land, there was a naturally formed array that covered a hundred li.

This array was very special. It had no offensive or defensive capabilities, nor could it trap enemies or create illusions, but it inherently possessed a trace of the power of the Law of Space.

Du Lianxin unknowingly intruded into the array.

The moment she entered the array, the scene revealed outside the array underwent a world-shattering change.

The place of beautiful mountains and clear waters disappeared, replaced by a vast, boundless desert.

Affected by the power of the Law of Space, the area covered by the array produced multiple spaces.

Du Lianxin had just entered one of these spaces. Unless she came out, the corresponding space would not be revealed externally.

In other words, even if Shen Anlan and Feng Ruo found the location of the array, they could only enter the other spaces and simply would not find her.

The existence of this special array allowed Du Lianxin to temporarily escape the entanglement of the two.

After entering the array’s coverage area, she vaguely sensed something and simply stopped, no longer continuing to fly.

As far as her eyes could see, the green mountains and clear waters were perfect for long-term cultivation.

Du Lianxin appreciated the natural scenery, waved her sleeve to take out the materials for building a dwelling, and quickly built a bamboo hut beside a stream. It took her less than two zhuxiang of time.

With the bamboo hut completed, the girl’s mood immediately improved significantly.

Being in this place, she could cast all worries aside.

Walking into the bamboo hut, Du Lianxin waved her sleeve, took out a putuan (meditation cushion), sat cross-legged on it, and quickly immersed herself in cultivation…

On the other side, Shen Anlan and Feng Ruo had now approached the array.

Looking at the seemingly endless desert ahead, Feng Ruo frowned, a hint of confusion in her eyes.

“That’s strange. Twenty years ago, I entered the Holy Land and came to this area, but there was no desert then.”

Shen Anlan’s eyes were deep. Natural arrays were extremely difficult to perceive, but she was no ordinary cultivator, so she had some awareness.

Feng Ruo saw her maintaining silence, guessed that she had noticed the anomaly, and deliberately provoked her.

“Why doesn’t Fellow Daoist Shen continue forward? Could it be that you don’t want to look for Lianxin anymore?”

Shen Anlan glanced at her. “There are multiple spaces ahead.”

Feng Ruo was startled at first, then somewhat incredulous.

“Could it be… the Law of Space?”

Shen Anlan nodded. “Most likely.”

“Then Lianxin…”

“If I’m not mistaken, Lianxin should have entered one of those spaces. Unless she comes out voluntarily, or you and I master the power of the Law of Space, it will be impossible to see her again in a short time.”

Feng Ruo was a little curious. “The Lotus Jade Hairpin has been returned by Lianxin. How can Fellow Daoist Shen be sure that Lianxin entered one of the spaces ahead?”

Shen Anlan said without hesitation: “It’s just intuition. There is no other reason. If Fellow Daoist Feng doesn’t believe it, you are welcome to continue searching elsewhere.”

“Does Fellow Daoist Shen plan to stay here all the time?”

“Yes.”

Shen Anlan gazed intently at the desert ahead, the obsession in her eyes fully apparent.

No matter how long Lianxin planned to stay in that space, she would wait here forever.

Once she comes out, she shouldn’t think about escaping from her side again!

The sun rose and set, day after day. Half a year passed in a flash.

Inside the bamboo hut, a layer of misty spiritual light circulated ceaselessly around the girl immersed in cultivation.

At a certain moment, the dense spiritual energy centered on her, forming a spiritual power vortex pouring down from above the bamboo hut.

As time went on, the True Essence that had accumulated sufficiently in Du Lianxin’s Dantian slowly compressed, condensing into a round Golden Core.

Upon closer inspection, a purple-glowing Dao pattern could be seen on the Golden Core.

With the formation of the Core, Du Lianxin’s strength increased significantly again.

She suppressed the joy in her heart and continued to meditate for a while, completely solidifying her realm.

Upon reaching the Core Formation realm, one needed to start refining their Natal Artifact.

Due to the rapid advancement of her realm, her original artifacts were no longer very useful to her. They could be melted down and decomposed as materials for refining the Natal Artifact later.

To gather the essential heavenly materials and earthly treasures, Du Lianxin searched for a long time in this place of beautiful mountains and clear waters but found very little.

Ultimately, she chose to temporarily leave this space.

She thought that after half a year, Shen Anlan and Feng Ruo should have long since left.

However, she did not expect that the moment she left the space, she would be caught off guard and fall into a familiar embrace.

The sound of deep-seated obsession immediately reached her ears: “Lianxin, I finally caught you!”