Reborn As The Short-Lived White Moonlight of the Tragic, Powerful Male Lead - Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Don’t Come Over Here!!

The Saber-Toothed Demon Tigerfish had a clumsy head, but it had no chance to feel relieved. Its tail, which made up only a third of its body, was about thirty meters long and incredibly flexible.

Almost the moment Xie Lanting finished speaking, two massive tails lashed out—one from the front and one from the behind—with enough force to crush a person into mincemeat.

Fish tail collided with sharp blades. Xie Lanting heard the clashing ring of metal. Not only were their tails fast, but their scales were as thick as armor and difficult to pierce.

If Xie Lanting were still at the Spirit Severing stage, he could take on a whole pack of these beasts alone. But now, with a wounded Golden Core, dealing with just one was his limit.

Not to mention he was carrying a “Foundation Establishment” disciple.

When Gu Yunqi bumped into his back, Xie Lanting heard a muffled gasp from his throat.

Oh, right. Underwater, Gu Yunqi had to hold his breath.

“We can’t stay here,” Xie Lanting said, able to speak without obstruction in the water. “I’ll use an illusion. I’m not practiced with it yet, so it’ll likely only stall them for a moment. When the timing is right, we surface immediately.”

Gu Yunqi couldn’t speak, and even if he nodded, Xie Lanting couldn’t see it since their backs were to each other. He simply moved slightly to signal his understanding.

Xie Lanting couldn’t yet create an illusion that combined reality and falsehood. He took a deep breath. As the two monster fish swung their heads around, his pupils suddenly turned silver. He spun around, meeting the gaze of both fish.

His eyes seemed to contain flowing light, flashing with a brilliant radiance underwater. The two giant beasts froze instantly; they were caught.

Xie Lanting and Gu Yunqi quickly swam upward. The giant fish, unable to stop their momentum, collided with a loud “thump.” The resulting shockwave gave Xie Lanting and Gu Yunqi a boost.

They seized the chance to go up, but the further they swam, the more they realized something was wrong. When they fell, it hadn’t felt deeper than a few dozen meters. With the speed of Xie Lanting’s tail, they had surged up at least a hundred meters, yet there was no sign of the surface or a cave.

Xie Lanting’s heart sank. They probably weren’t going to find the surface.

Even if cultivators could hold their breath longer than ordinary people, they couldn’t do it forever. Gu Yunqi had clearly reached his limit, covering his mouth and nose with his hand, trying to endure just a bit longer.

The last-minute illusion had only a minor effect. The currents below surged—the fish were catching up.

Seeing Gu Yunqi’s condition, Xie Lanting bit his lip. He reached out, grabbed Gu Yunqi by the collar, and—amidst Gu Yunqi’s trembling pupils—pressed his lips against his.

Air flowed from the contact point into Gu Yunqi’s mouth. A person on the verge of suffocation instinctively craves air; he reflexively took a deep breath. Xie Lanting’s body shuddered at the sensation, and he barely managed to hold on without pulling away.

In a crisis, there was no time to savor the intimacy. Once the breath was delivered, and before Gu Yunqi could react, Xie Lanting slapped his tail and flung him away.

As he was thrown, Gu Yunqi only had time to see the enraged monster fish open their bloody maws and lunge from below toward Xie Lanting’s position.

Even though his lungs had just been replenished, Gu Yunqi felt his heart stop as the massive shadows of the fish swallowed Xie Lanting’s figure.

Then, a sudden flash of sword light pierced through the dark, deep water. It was a strike that could cleave the sea and repel thunder. The sun-blocking ferocity of the two beasts crashed into the rainbow-like sword light. Deafening roars and bloody water exploded simultaneously as the waves surged!

A single sword strike to shatter the mountains; a blade that could grasp the moon from the ninth heaven. Immortal Lord Lanyue was a swordsman who had waded through slaughter and blood.

Gu Yunqi finally understood what it meant to be the Number One Sword Cultivator.

Xie Lanting was unforgettable not just because of that face.

Holding his sword, Xie Lanting’s gaze was colder than the blade. He stared coldly at the beasts whose armor he had cracked. He spoke softly: “Seeking death.”

He wanted to live. He wanted to return to where he belonged. Anyone blocking his path and seeking his life could only die by his blade.

Xie Lanting probably didn’t know how heavy his murderous aura was right now.

Giants vs. ants? Could he win? There was no need to think.

Just kill.

Xie Lanting raised his sword and sliced through the water with agility. In the murky depths, he was the only light; wherever he passed, blood followed.

Relying on their scales, the two fish had never been so severely injured. They writhed in pain, their attacks regressing to raw, primal instinct, which made them even more powerful. Yet, Xie Lanting maneuvered between them with ease.

However, at one point, his body stiffened for a second. The beasts wouldn’t miss the chance; teeth sharper than swords lunged coldly toward him.

Xie Lanting pressed a hand to his dantian, his eyes remaining as calm as an ancient well. Just as he was about to throw out a high-grade artifact to blast them, something heavy suddenly slammed down onto the head of a fish. Its eyes bulged, and its hundred-meter-long body was physically hammered down.

Xie Lanting snapped out of his cold killing intent. Looking at Gu Yunqi, who had intervened, he opened his mouth: “You…”

Gu Yunqi arrived at his side, his aura having surged to the late stage of Golden Core.

He had revealed his trump card.

To be honest, while Xie Lanting had always wanted to “unmask” Gu Yunqi, he never expected it to be under these circumstances. From any angle, it looked like Gu Yunqi had abandoned his precautions and acted out of concern for Xie Lanting’s safety.

The reason Xie Lanting had hesitated earlier was that his old injury had flared up at the worst possible time, and the pain was beginning to spread.

He looked at Gu Yunqi with a complex expression. Gu Yunqi seemed to have something to say, but Xie Lanting spoke first: “Save it for after we deal with this.”

After all, a “Foundation Establishment” suddenly jumping to Golden Core—Gu Yunqi must be thinking of how to explain himself. Xie Lanting understood.

He even patted Gu Yunqi on the shoulder, signaling that he wouldn’t press him right now for “hiding” it for so long.

It’s okay, Protagonist. I already know. I’m actually the one holding the script!

Xie Lanting: Finally, the mask is off!

But to his surprise, Gu Yunqi shook his head, stubbornly insisting on speaking now.

He raised his hand and used spiritual energy to write a line of text in the water:

Immortal Lord, I am about to break through.

Xie Lanting’s hand froze. “…Now?”

Gu Yunqi nodded solemnly.

Fact one: Moving from Golden Core to Nascent Soul involves a lightning tribulation. Even in a secret realm, the sky outside would gather thunderclouds and deliver the lightning to you dutifully.

Fact two: They were in the water. Water conducts electricity.

Xie Lanting: “…”

He felt that not only did his body hurt, but his head was starting to throb too.

He threw out a high-grade artifact to temporarily stall the fish attempting a sneak attack and shakily covered his chest. “How… how did I earn this ‘honor’…”

To be bathed in the sacred light of the protagonist’s lightning tribulation!

When a cultivator is about to undergo a tribulation, anyone in the cultivation world knows that even if you want to watch, you do it from a safe distance. Lightning tribulations only benefit the one undergoing them; anyone else caught in the crossfire only suffers. There is no “fitness benefit.”

But the water was vast, and Xie Lanting had nowhere to hide.

Because no matter where he hid, the lightning would travel through the water.

However, tribulation lightning is different from ordinary lightning. Ordinary lightning spreads instantly in water, but tribulation lightning focuses on a single point to strike the cultivator. Even if conducted, the dissipated energy would be greatly reduced.

But just how much it would be reduced was an unknown.

Both had defensive artifacts beneath their clothes. Xie Lanting scanned his spatial ring but found not a single item specifically designed to repel lightning.

They looked at each other, then turned their gazes to the two Tigerfish.

The Tigerfish were charging up in pain, wanting to tear them to shreds.

Though Xie Lanting had cracked their scales, they still looked thick and sturdy. They looked very… secure.

Perfect for a shield.

Xie Lanting: “…Let’s gamble. When the lightning strikes, I’ll stay as far from you as possible.”

Gu Yunqi nodded.

Outside the secret realm, purple thunderclouds gathered, brewing the tribulation. With a muffled roll and an ear-splitting crack, the first bolt finally struck!

It passed through the secret realm, through the illusion, and didn’t scatter at the water’s surface. Instead, it shot straight through the water toward the one undergoing the tribulation.

When Gu Yunqi sensed the first bolt descending, he made a gesture to Xie Lanting and dived rapidly toward the bottom. Xie Lanting followed closely.

In this way, as the two fish chased them, they were positioned directly above their heads.

Noticing the blinding light above, Xie Lanting slapped the water with his tail. Using the agility of a merman, he fled from Gu Yunqi’s side.

As the two fish were about to split up to chase him, they suddenly felt a sense of dread—the natural instinct of a beast sensing danger.

But it was too late. The first thick bolt of lightning hit them square on the head. The lightning struck their iron-like skulls, sending sparks flying and raising the water temperature by several degrees!

In the world of cultivation, you really can set off fireworks in the water!

Gu Yunqi passed the first bolt with ease.

The dissipated current sizzled in the water. Tribulation lightning was indeed different; it didn’t conduct its full power to the entire area. Only small purple currents flickered around.

As the electricity passed through him, Xie Lanting couldn’t help but curl the tip of his tail. It was tingly… almost comfortable. But his old injury was flaring up, making him feel both pained and numb—an indescribable sensation.

The two Tigerfish finally realized what was happening. This cultivator was undergoing a tribulation!

In the cultivation world, one cannot attack a cultivator undergoing a tribulation, or they will face heavenly punishment. Otherwise, many wouldn’t survive to see the end of it.

From Golden Core to Nascent Soul, there are nine bolts. The first was just an appetizer, the weakest.

The two fish realized they had been used as shields and grew even more furious. But they had no choice but to stay away. They couldn’t escape in the endless water anyway; they would settle the score after the tribulation.

One fish had already lost an eye to Xie Lanting. They looked at each other and decisively swung their bodies: Run!

But Gu Yunqi wasn’t about to let a perfectly good set of armor go. The situation completely reversed—

Two hundred-meter-long giant creatures fled in panic, while two tiny humans pursued them relentlessly.

The two fish swam for their lives: Don’t come over here!!

Blood seeped from the wounds on the fish. They even heard a voice of disgust. Xie Lanting: “So dirty.”

If you’re so disgusted, then stop chasing us!

The Tigerfish had brains. They dove deep. The deeper they went, the harder it was for humans to hold their breath. The human undergoing the tribulation would eventually cave.

A Tigerfish’s eyes are on top of its head, and it can rotate them to look back. The fish with both eyes intact kept one eye on the path ahead and one on the humans behind. It noticed the human slowing down.

Ha, can’t hold on anymore… right?

Then it watched as the silver-tailed merman swam over and gave the human a big kiss.

After the kiss, Gu Yunqi’s air supply was full again, and he had the strength to keep chasing.

Five meters, three meters… he caught up!

The Tigerfish went crazy: They’re cheating!!!

When the lightning struck, Xie Lanting dodged. After the strike, he swam back to deliver air. The rhythm was flawless.

However, Xie Lanting was swimming slower and slower. On one hand, the internal pain was becoming unbearable. On the other, as the lightning grew stronger, the electricity in the water grew more potent. His body was paralyzed several times, unable to move.

By the fifth bolt, if Gu Yunqi hadn’t pushed him away in time, he would have been struck along with him.

But compared to Xie Lanting, the two fish were truly miserable.

Their scales, which swords could barely pierce, were finally being “charred” by the lightning. Combined with the wounds Xie Lanting had opened earlier, after the fifth bolt, Xie Lanting could smell “grilled meat” in the water.

Having tasted all sorts of delicacies in modern society—charcoal-grilled, paper-wrapped, wood-fired—he had never eaten fish grilled directly by electricity.

Xie Lanting’s mind wandered a bit. Can we eat this fish later? A Heavenly Thunder Fish Banquet?

He shook his tail. Luckily, he hadn’t been grilled into a dish yet.

When Gu Yunqi swam over, he didn’t actually need air yet, but Xie Lanting’s brain was a bit numb. He instinctively took a breath of air and pressed his lips to Gu Yunqi’s.

Gu Yunqi was stunned, but he opened his mouth to take the air.

The Immortal Lord’s lips were soft… but also very cold.

The first time they shared air, his heart had indeed wavered. But all romantic thoughts had been suppressed; now was not the time for romance. Although Xie Lanting endured in silence, Gu Yunqi hadn’t failed to notice his worsening complexion.

Four bolts left.

Gu Yunqi thought for a moment and wrote: Immortal Lord, give me one more mouthful.

Xie Lanting: “Hm? Mmph…”

Gu Yunqi took the initiative, leaning in and gently parting Xie Lanting’s lips. This “mouthful” lasted a long time, making Xie Lanting’s already numb brain even dizzier. Gu Yunqi stored as much air as possible, which was also uncomfortable for him.

Rest during the next three bolts. Do not come over.

After writing this, Gu Yunqi charged toward the two Tigerfish, who were now barely moving.

By the time Xie Lanting regained his senses, the sixth bolt had already struck. The text formed by spiritual energy had not yet dissipated.

Xie Lanting reached out and brushed the words away. He thought to himself: His handwriting is quite beautiful.

Handwriting reflects the person—the strokes were like blades, sharp and vibrant, yet hiding a subtle charm.

Xie Lanting wiped his lips with his finger. That kiss initiated by Gu Yunqi… it felt different from the previous ones.

Was it because he had been the one leading before?

Forget it. It was just sharing air. No need to look too deeply into it.

After the eighth bolt, the two fish were finally dead as could be. Their massive bodies were wedged into an underwater crevice Gu Yunqi had calculated. Even in death, they served as his umbrella.

However, their scales were completely dull and offered little protection. Gu Yunqi had endured most of the last three bolts himself.

Xie Lanting swam over to give him one last breath before the final bolt.

Gu Yunqi had endured three bolts on a single breath, and his defensive artifacts were ruined. This time, when Xie Lanting gave him air, he tasted the metallic scent of blood in Gu Yunqi’s mouth.

Initially, he was the one giving air, but Xie Lanting couldn’t help but swallow a drop.

So sweet… why is human blood sweet?!

Xie Lanting realized something was wrong and quickly finished delivering the breath, swishing his tail to get away. Gu Yunqi didn’t miss his reaction; he swallowed the blood in his own throat. So… the Immortal Lord really likes his blood?

Xie Lanting swam to the side and leaned against a rock, exhausted. If he weren’t in front of Gu Yunqi, he would have rolled around in pain. But strangely, after this exchange, the pain in his body seemed slightly better.

Xie Lanting savored the sweetness in his mouth. The blood and the pain… could it be that the pain was so bad he was hallucinating?

Gu Yunqi held his breath, waiting for the final and most powerful bolt.

At that moment, something fell out from the scales of one of the dead fish—a thin, translucent sliver. If one didn’t look closely, it would have been missed. It drifted through the water and landed in Gu Yunqi’s hand.

Gu Yunqi held it and found it was made of white, semi-transparent scales. It felt smooth and delicate—exactly like the feel of Xie Lanting’s tail.

It radiated spiritual energy. Judging by the flow, it was a defensive artifact.

Could this be… the Thousand-Scale Soft Armor?

The final bolt descended with the majesty of the Heavens. This time, the corpses of the fish were blown to pieces. The entire area lit up brilliantly. Even from a distance, Xie Lanting had to summon several treasures to block the residual impact.

He truly had no strength left to block with his sword.

This was his first time seeing a real lightning tribulation since transmigrating. It was terrifying. This was only the Nascent Soul tribulation; thinking that this body had passed even the Spirit Severing one, he suddenly felt quite impressive.

But no matter how scary it was, the protagonist would never lose to a lightning tribulation.

Having endured the final bolt, Gu Yunqi’s body was tempered inside and out. His spiritual energy surged as he crossed the threshold of Golden Core and leaped into the Nascent Soul stage. His body felt incredibly light, and his consciousness was exceptionally clear.

He hurriedly swam through the water to Xie Lanting’s side.

Xie Lanting’s eyes were half-closed. “Successful?”

Gu Yunqi supported him and nodded.

“Good. Wait for me… wait for me to sleep. I’ll listen to your explanation when I wake up…”

After saying this, Xie Lanting pitched forward into Gu Yunqi’s arms and fainted. Although unconscious, his body still spasmed from the flare-up of his old injury. Gu Yunqi quickly hugged him to prevent him from drifting away.

Just as he caught him, Gu Yunqi felt a massive pull dragging him away.

Right. This secret realm only allowed those below the Nascent Soul stage to enter.

If Xie Lanting were awake and wanted to continue treasure hunting, Gu Yunqi would have agreed. But now that he was unconscious in the water, Gu Yunqi couldn’t leave him alone.

By holding him tightly, Xie Lanting would likely be rejected by the secret realm along with him.

Gu Yunqi draped the Thousand-Scale Soft Armor over Xie Lanting to protect him during the expulsion. He thought that if Xie Lanting felt regretful about the trip later, he would compensate him with all the things he had collected.

Now that his cultivation was exposed, there were things he should explain.

Before they were completely spat out by the secret realm, the Water Spirit—which had escaped from Gu Jingping—finally found the “Son of Heaven” by his scent and dived excitedly toward Gu Yunqi.

Water Spirit: “Puji!”

As the strange attraction pulled it, the Water Spirit finally realized something was wrong.

“Puji?”

It squeezed its fluid body between the two of them and was successfully rejected by the secret realm, thrown out along with them.

Gu Yunqi and Xie Lanting fell into a mountain forest about five miles outside the secret realm. Gu Yunqi landed on the bottom to cushion the fall, while Xie Lanting was safely protected in his arms.

Gu Yunqi hurried to get up to check on Xie Lanting, only to find something on top of Xie Lanting’s head.

The Water Spirit was perched on Xie Lanting’s head, its watery body trembling all over. Although it had no eyes, Gu Yunqi felt like it was about to cry.

Gu Yunqi: “…”

How did it follow them out? Can secret realm guide spirits even do that?

“You… get down first. Don’t press down on the Immortal Lord’s hair.”

Trembling, the Water Spirit moved from Xie Lanting’s head to his shoulder.

Gu Yunqi propped himself up on one knee and lifted Xie Lanting’s body, intending to signal his secret guard, Chu Qi, to check on him. But with that single movement, he froze.

Gu Yunqi’s gaze slowly fell. His hand was resting on Xie Lanting’s knee. And Xie Lanting, who had transformed from a merman back to a human… had no fabric on his straight, long legs. They were simply bare, in intimate contact with the air, presented right before his eyes.

If the upper garment hadn’t been long enough, more than just legs would have been presented.

Xie Lanting probably never expected that his random thought at the beginning would come true: When transforming back to legs, there really were no pants!

Gu Yunqi’s head felt like it was exploding. He reached out and covered the Water Spirit.

Water Spirit: ?

“Don’t look!”

He remembered the Water Spirit had no eyes and didn’t know how it perceived the world, so he took it off Xie Lanting’s shoulder and stuffed it deep into his sleeve, hiding it completely.

The Water Spirit thought Gu Yunqi was comforting it in this strange new environment. It felt warmed and hugged Gu Yunqi’s arm tightly inside the sleeve.

As for the “Son of Heaven” pressed against him—he hadn’t been “grilled” by the lightning, but he was about to be “cooked” by his own blushing.