Master is Also Running Away from Marriage Today (Transmigration) - Chapter 38

“Qingge?”

 

Mu Ling hesitated before speaking, about to tell Lin Qingge about her condition, when she felt Lin Qingge’s cool fingers tremble slightly as they brushed over her meridians. In the next instant, Mu Ling lost consciousness.

 

Lin Qingge carried Mu Ling to the front of the stage and entrusted her to Ding Xin, who wore a look of deep concern. Ding Xin carefully laid Mu Ling down and then cast a worried glance at Lin Qingge.

 

There was something different about Qingge.

 

Ding Xin couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but she felt that Lin Qingge’s aura had changed dramatically from before. The previous Lin Qingge, though exceptionally talented, had always drawn gazes effortlessly due to her striking beauty. Yet now, though her appearance remained the same, her entire demeanor had shifted like a pearl wiped clean of dust, radiating such brilliance that it was almost too dazzling to look at directly.

 

Lin Qingge paid no further attention to Ding Xin’s gaze.

 

She took one last deep look at Mu Ling, then turned and stepped onto the stage, walking slowly toward Wang Qing.

 

“What’s this?” Wang Qing sneered. “Finally done hiding behind your master like a coward?”

 

Wang Qing held his sword horizontally across his chest, his cold eyes fixed on Lin Qingge, lingering briefly on her breathtakingly beautiful face. “My son had a fondness for beauty. Out of respect for your looks, I’ll grant you a whole corpse so you can accompany him in death.”

 

Lin Qingge drew her sword.

 

The spiritual sword trembled in her grip, overwhelmed by the dark, surging power emanating from Lin Qingge’s body, leaving it no room to resist.

 

Lin Qingge’s eyes appeared calm as still water as she slowly swept her gaze over the faces of the surrounding cultivators. She observed their reactions. Some shrinking back in fear, others filled with disdain or pity while a storm of darkness churned in the depths of her eyes.

 

A flash of white light, her sword strike cleaved through stone, hurtling straight toward Wang Qing!

 

With a thunderous crack, the bluestone platform shattered, splitting open in a massive, jagged fissure.

 

Wang Qing’s expression sharpened, his earlier arrogance fading as he dodged to the side. A spark of fury ignited in his eyes, fully rousing his battle spirit, and he swung his sword in a sweeping slash.

 

As a Thunder Spirit Root cultivator, his blade carried the force of lightning, crashing down toward Lin Qingge with unstoppable momentum.

 

“Truly worthy of Elder Wang!” Bai Mufeng on the platform sighed in admiration, nudging Bai Fengqing beside him. But Bai Fengqing was deep in thought, his gaze fixed on Lin Qingge.

 

“What is it?” Bai Mufeng’s eyes also flickered toward Lin Qingge, narrowing slightly. “That girl does have some skill.”

 

“Mm,” Bai Fengqing murmured in response, then turned his attention back to the battle.

 

As a swordsman, Bai Fengqing was acutely sensitive to battle intent. He had fought alongside Lin Qingge in Biming Town before and knew her talent far surpassed that of ordinary cultivators enough to hold her own against him, even when he was at the Nascent Soul stage.

 

Initially, Bai Fengqing had been certain of Lin Qingge’s defeat and had planned to step in after she lost. He despised Wang Qing’s bullying ways, especially after Wang Qing had harmed Mu Ling, his savior.

 

Yet the Lin Qingge on the stage now seemed the same as before, still at the Golden Core stage in cultivation. But in that brief moment, her battle intent had unmistakably overwhelmed Wang Qing!

 

And Wang Qing, in the thick of the fight, felt the change in Lin Qingge even more keenly.

 

Wang Qing’s sword was imbued with formidable spiritual energy, yet Lin Qingge moved with such astonishing speed that his strike missed entirely unable to even graze her!

 

Wang Qing furrowed his brows.

 

He had initially assumed Lin Qingge was merely an exceptionally talented junior, the kind of prodigy not uncommon in the cultivation world. But now, he realized she was different. This was a beast, a young warrior whose overwhelming combat prowess was already evident. Given time to grow.

 

No wonder Mu Ling had been willing to risk her life to protect her.

 

Originally, Wang Qing had wanted to kill Mu Ling more, but given her transcendent status, he had settled for targeting Lin Qingge instead. Now, however, the urge to eliminate her eclipsed all else. Lin Qingge could not be allowed to live!

 

His expression hardened as he dragged his sword across the ground, sparks crackling in its wake, the earth beneath blackening into char.

 

“Thunderbolt Technique!” someone in the stands gasped.

 

This was Wang Qing’s signature sword art, a technique from which no one had ever emerged alive.

 

With another swing, he unleashed his blade toward Lin Qingge!

 

A tempest erupted, dark clouds swirling overhead as lightning weaved a net above her. Wang Qing’s sword strikes formed an inescapable web, descending upon her.

 

“Is this the strength of the so-called number one sword cultivator in the immortal realm?”

 

Lin Qingge’s lips curled, her voice laced with mockery. Amid the gale, her white robes fluttered, her black hair whipping wildly. With crimson lips and obsidian eyes, she looked less like an immortal and more like a bewitching demon reveling in destruction.

 

Seeing the disdain in her gaze, Wang Qing slashed even more frenziedly.

 

Then…

 

A surge of immense spiritual power erupted from Lin Qingge, repelling his sword intent.

 

At this critical moment between life and death, she had broken through!

 

Gasps rippled through the stands as spectators rose to their feet.

 

Through the billowing dust, they watched in awe as heavenly tribulation lightning gathered above. Lin Qingge’s spiritual energy pulsed violently.

 

Forced to retreat to avoid the tribulation’s backlash, Wang Qing could only grit his teeth and watch as bolts as thick as tree trunks struck her one after another. Yet Lin Qingge showed no sign of pain, her dark eyes locked onto him with chilling intensity.

 

When their gazes met, an inexplicable dread gripped Wang Qing’s heart.

 

One bolt, two, three… Thirty-six strikes later, Lin Qingge stood unbowed, her back straight as a blade.

 

“She actually advanced to Nascent Soul at a time like this.”

 

Murmurs of astonishment spread. To reach such a level at such a young age, she was truly a genius among geniuses. A pity her fate had crossed with Wang Qing, the most ruthless of adversaries.

 

But then—

 

The observer’s pupils dilated in shock.

 

The tribulation clouds still churned above Lin Qingge. More lightning descended.

 

Forty-five more strikes.

 

Only after the forty-fifth bolt did the storm finally dissipate, the lightning retreating from the sky.

 

Lin Qingge had ascended two realms in succession reaching the Divine Transformation stage!

 

The expressions of many in the stands shifted instantly. The cultivation world had thousands of Golden Core cultivators, which was why none had dared intervene when Wang Qing, a Unity Realm expert, sought to kill her. But now, Lin Qingge had reached Divine Transformation!

 

In the entire cultivation world, there are fewer than ten sword cultivators at the Divine Transformation stage. Now, during this critical period of the offensive against the demon realm, losing even one such talent would be a significant blow to the cultivation world.

 

“Elder Wang…” Someone stepped forward, intending to persuade Wang Qing, but was shoved aside by a sweep of his palm!

 

Wang Qing saw the hostility and disdain in Lin Qingge’s eyes. As a cultivator at the Unity stage, he had never suffered such humiliation before!

 

Wang Qing’s attacks came like a violent storm, all directed at Lin Qingge.

 

Lin Qingge drifted lightly backward, drawing her sword.

 

The two became locked in combat, their figures intertwining as dust rose around them. The crowd could only hear the clashing of swords, the metallic clangs ringing out.

 

The fact that Lin Qingge could hold her own against Wang Qing for so many moves already proved her strength.

 

Unconsciously, everyone rose to their feet.

 

Yet, as time passed, Wang Qing’s shock only grew heavier. He had given his all, yet Lin Qingge on the other side seemed utterly at ease, as if toying with a monkey.

 

How was this possible?

 

Lin Qingge narrowed her eyes as she saw the fear in Wang Qing’s gaze, the timing was just right.

 

She feigned a stumble.

 

For a sword cultivator, speed was everything.

 

Wang Qing’s eyes lit up. In an instant, his sword was already before her. Lin Qingge curled her lips into a cold smile and slashed out with her own blade. The sword’s aura was like a rainbow, carrying an overwhelming force. The two sword energies collided!

 

With a deafening boom, both Wang Qing and Lin Qingge were forced back several steps by the surge of spiritual power.

 

Wang Qing narrowed his eyes and raised his right hand, preparing to strike a second blow. When suddenly, an excruciating pain shot through his arm.

 

He looked down in disbelief. With a clang, his sword fell to the ground along with the arm that had been holding it.

 

How could this be?!

 

Wang Qing’s eyes widened as if he were dreaming. But reality proved otherwise. The delayed pain finally registered, accompanied by the cold tip of Lin Qingge’s sword.

 

Her blade pressed against Wang Qing’s throat as she whispered, “You’ve lost.”

 

“No, how could I lose?” A flash of crimson surged in Wang Qing’s eyes. Suddenly, something shot from his chest straight toward Lin Qingge’s face!

 

Yet Lin Qingge seemed to have anticipated it. She leaned back at an impossible angle, dodging the hidden weapon, then seized Wang Qing by the throat.

 

Her grip tightened gradually, spiritual power surging from her palm into Wang Qing’s body like thousands of needles piercing his flesh simultaneously.

 

Wang Qing’s eyes bulged with terror, his face flushing red. Unable to endure any longer, he gasped out, “I surrender!”

 

A shadow flickered in Lin Qingge’s eyes as she sneered, tossing Wang Qing aside like trash at the edge of the arena.

 

She longed to kill him, but for now, she still needed to maintain her cover within the immortal sects. So, she spared his wretched life. However, Wang Qing would suffer from now on. She had left a trace of spiritual power within him whenever he tried to circulate his energy, he would relive the agony of a thousand needles.

 

Wang Qing was as good as crippled.

 

Silence enveloped the surroundings, broken only by Wang Qing’s ragged gasps. Every gaze was fixed on Lin Qingge, standing at the center of the arena.

 

Lin Qingge stood in her snow-white robes, her dark hair cascading like a waterfall. Though not yet a hundred years old, she had just defeated the world’s top swordsman before everyone’s eyes.

 

What terrifying power!

 

Her gaze was icy as she stood on the platform, her expression naturally imperious. Even under the scrutiny of the elite from the entire cultivation world, she showed no trace of panic, as if she were born to be worshipped by the masses.

 

For a fleeting moment, Lin Qingge’s aura was so overwhelming it seemed as though she might slaughter everyone present.

 

The cultivators braced themselves, for they had all sided with Wang Qing moments ago. Who could have imagined Lin Qingge would defeat him.

 

Yet Lin Qingge spared no one a glance. She sheathed her sword, reined in her formidable presence, and, under the weight of countless stares, slowly walked toward the Qingyi Sect’s formation. There, she knelt before Mu Ling, who lay unconscious on a long bench placed by Ding Xin.

 

“Master has taken medicine, and her internal injuries are no longer severe,” Ding Xin said, her voice laced with worry as she gazed at Mu Ling’s still form. “But for some reason, she just won’t wake up.”

 

“Perhaps she doesn’t want to.”

 

Lin Qingge studied the furrow between Mu Ling’s brows, her dark eyes flickering with unreadable emotions. Her gaze traced every inch of Mu Ling’s face as she murmured words only she could hear.

 

Having witnessed the hypocrisy and sanctimony of the cultivation world, and now knowing that even Lin Qingge had once harmed others. How would Mu Ling, suddenly thrust into this ruthless world of survival, change once she awoke?

 

“I won’t let you get hurt again,” Lin Qingge whispered, bowing her head, lips pressed tight. The rebellious energy around her dissipated completely, leaving her like a prisoner awaiting judgment. Her cold fingers brushed Mu Ling’s. “Don’t abandon me.”

 

Unaware of the events unfolding outside, Mu Ling felt the black cocoon within her spiritual sea shatter completely. A memory surged into her mind.

 

The most painful memory of her life.

 

She remembered how she had crossed into this book.

 

During that time, she had often video-called her grandfather, always sensing something was off about his demeanor. That day, returning from her internship, she had been on her way to visit him. The call had lagged just as she stepped into the middle of the road. She had told her grandfather she’d hang up, but suddenly, the connection cleared.

 

And she saw it: the caregiver, muttering “old bastard,” roughly forcing her grandfather’s mouth open and pouring scalding porridge down his throat.

 

The caregiver had been abusing him in secret!

 

Mu Ling’s heart shattered. Frantically, she tried to record the scene. When a blaring horn pierced the air, followed by searing pain.