ETR | Chapter 98

Right now, in the Layer, even though Xiao Xueman could imagine that with Xiao Wan’s personality, he would definitely toughen up and wait for him to return—and by then, he would have grown into a person who stands tall and proud, especially with Qin Lou around—he never expected that the people outside hadn’t received Qin Lou.

Or rather, that Qin Lou hadn’t managed to leave as smoothly as he imagined.

Xiao Xueman could clearly feel his own talent slipping away, growing weaker and weaker, until he could barely move. He just sat on the ground, the only thing he could do was reach out to brush away the clouds and look at the stars outside.

The Cosmic Tree was too vast, every time he looked, it seemed a little different. Its serene and expansive appearance easily calmed people down, making it somewhat easier to accept death in such a situation.

As if he were just falling asleep in the sea of stars, at least it wouldn't be embarrassing.

But suddenly, at this moment, Xiao Xueman heard Qin Lou's voice.

"What are you thinking about?"

For a moment, he thought he was hallucinating because he was about to die.

But the next second, a pair of arms wrapped around him, very familiar and very real.

It was indeed Qin Lou, not a hallucination.

Qin Lou hugged him from behind, kissed the top of his head, and asked again, "What are you thinking about?"

Xiao Xueman was stunned for a moment, then turned slightly. He blinked, his eyes showing obvious surprise and confusion.

Qin Lou found his current expression very cute, his eyes slightly widened in surprise, making them look round like a small animal. He unabashedly pinched Xiao Xueman's cheek, "Did Xueman think of me?"

Xiao Xueman was still in a daze, not answering.

"I guess you did," Qin Lou said with a faint smile, answering his own question, "Thinking that sending me out was a good thing, right?"

"No... how did you stay behind?"

Xiao Xueman finally asked in confusion, constantly recalling if there was any oversight in his previous actions. But he clearly remembered stuffing the ejecting spirit instrument into Qin Lou's hand.

Qin Lou hugged him tighter, a slight smile on his lips.

Xiao Xueman knew his talent was being taken away, leaving him with only half his strength. So he did have a relatively complete plan to make up for his shortcomings, like that knife, like that kiss, but he hadn't fully adapted to his decline in strength and couldn't completely control Qin Lou.

He was preparing, and Qin Lou was preparing too.

They both understood each other very well.

"My Xueman..." Qin Lou hugged him tightly, his tone indescribable, whether it was a sigh or some other emotion, "I guessed you would send me out."

The Eternal Heart Lotus was originally an excellent spirit instrument produced in the center of the Secret Realm, and it had shown its significant connection with the center before.

Qin Lou couldn’t use it to cause any harm to the environment there, but using it to establish a slight connection with the environment wasn’t difficult.

The ejecting spirit instrument would indeed have an effect, but the Eternal Heart Lotus wanted to keep him there.

When two spirit instruments exert opposite effects at the same time, naturally the stronger one prevails, and compared to the ejecting spirit instrument, the Eternal Heart Lotus was indeed more powerful.

As for why Xiao Xueman didn't notice at the time, it was just a simple invisibility spell. When Xiao Xueman broke through the light spots to enter the Layer, Qin Lou came in right after.

If his strength were still intact, Xiao Xueman would have seen through Qin Lou's invisibility spell immediately, but now he couldn't.

He only appeared in front of Xiao Xueman now, naturally with a purpose.

Every time Qin Lou saw Xiao Xueman before, no matter the situation, there was always a faint smile in his eyes. Now was no different, as if nothing in front of him was enough to make him wary, but Xiao Xueman couldn't smile.

"Why didn't you leave?" Xiao Xueman, knowing the reason, tugged at his clothes with effort despite his weakness, "Why stay and wait to die with me!"

Qin Lou seemed to be in good condition, probably using some stored resources from his storage spirit instrument for support.

When Xiao Xueman came in, he found that in this place devoid of spiritual power, they could still use spiritual power, and the spirit instruments they carried were collections of spiritual power, which could be consumed to temporarily provide "nourishment."

But this method was somewhat wasteful, and for Xiao Xueman's situation, the talent being taken away was the main issue, not the other things, so he didn't need to go through the extra trouble.

Even if Qin Lou used this method, he wouldn't last long. The resources in his storage spirit instrument were many, but for the current situation, they were just a drop in the bucket.

"Do you really want to die with me? What's the point? Are you stupid!" Xiao Xueman grew angrier as he spoke. If he had the strength, he would have wanted to hit him, "Qin Lou!"

But Qin Lou remained incorrigible, lowering his head to kiss Xiao Xueman's puffed-up cheek.

Xiao Xueman's tone was harsh, but he wasn't truly angry. When he first realized he was beyond saving, his emotions hadn't fluctuated so intensely.

"You didn't have to do this..." Qin Lou heard his tone weaken, already tinged with a bit of a sob, "I already sent you out."

"Don't be afraid," Qin Lou kissed his eyes again, as if wanting to kiss away his tears, "Xueman, don't be afraid."

His actions grew bolder, perhaps because Xiao Xueman wouldn't resist him now, and he cherished these last moments.

And since Xiao Xueman had kissed him first, why couldn't he kiss back?

"How could I bear it?" Qin Lou said softly, "Xueman, I can't bear to let you leave like this."

"You..."

Qin Lou continued, "Xueman, you and I both know there's actually another way, not to resist the rules, but to use them."

Hearing this, Xiao Xueman's expression changed, and he tightened his grip on Qin Lou's clothes.

"Once you break through Spirit God Tier 9, your strength will soar, and you won't be restricted by this small world anymore. The rule that only one can remain under the Tianxi Divine Tree naturally won't apply to you," Qin Lou continued, his tone gentle, "We still have this method, right?"

Yes, there was indeed this method, but breaking through Spirit God Tier 9 was as elusive as finding loopholes in the rules.

Xiao Xueman and Qin Lou had been stuck at this level for a long time, with no progress for over a hundred years. In the current situation, Xiao Xueman showed no signs of breaking through, making this path a dead end.

But he thought of something and began to struggle in Qin Lou's arms, but his strength was too weak, and Qin Lou easily held him down.

Qin Lou started carrying him forward. After entering, he hadn't immediately revealed himself to find Xiao Xueman. During this time, he had been setting up some things in a place Xiao Xueman couldn't see.

He had prepared before entering the Secret Realm, and although he hadn't anticipated many of the subsequent events, his previous plan was still useful.

When Xiao Xueman was carried to that place and saw what Qin Lou had set up, he struggled even more fiercely.

"No," tears uncontrollably streamed from his eyes, "Qin Lou, don't be foolish here! Put me down!"

Qin Lou didn't listen to him.

Xiao Xueman only needed one look to know what it was. He was too familiar with it.

He had stayed at Tian Shu Academy for a long time, and Yuan Shu had used this very setup on him, essential for his dark arts. But this one was slightly different.

Naturally, Qin Lou wouldn't rob Xiao Xueman of anything at this time; he had another plan in mind.

"Back then, based on the confessions of some people from Tian Shu Academy, I found the place where you once stayed and saw these things, then destroyed them one by one with my own hands," Qin Lou said, "It was also then, by chance, that I learned this method could actually be used in reverse."

It could be used to absorb others' spiritual power for oneself, but reversed, it could voluntarily offer one's power to another.

At that time, Qin Lou only wanted to destroy this method, but Yuan Shu's things were not ordinary, and a simple attack would only rebound. To completely destroy them, he had to understand them first.

Understanding these things was painful for him then, just thinking about what Xiao Xueman had gone through made him feel terrible, wishing he could bear it for him. Now, it seemed he could fulfill that wish.

When he prepared these things again before entering the Secret Realm, he didn't feel a hint of reluctance.

Of course, he hoped for some fortuitous encounters in the Secret Realm, that he and Xueman could return together, but having tried and found no results, this was the only way left.

"The power of two Spirit God Tier 9 is enough of a push; you will break through, Xueman," Qin Lou whispered in his ear, "Don't be afraid."

Xiao Xueman was already too choked up to speak.

But he had no strength to stop it, and Qin Lou didn't hesitate, he had already started.

Xiao Xueman knew all too well how painful it was to have one's spiritual power drained under this method. The power of two Spirit God Tier 9s, the conversion would take a long time, and he didn't know how long Qin Lou would have to endure.

When it started, Qin Lou's face turned noticeably pale, but he quickly returned to normal.

"Don't cry," he wiped away Xiao Xueman's tears, his tone returning to its usual calm, as if nothing was happening, "Xueman, talk to me."

Suddenly facing all this, Xiao Xueman was on the verge of breaking down, struggling in Qin Lou's grip, hoping he would stop.

Qin Lou, helpless, took Xiao Xueman's hand and placed it on his lower back.

"The previous wound healed, but it still hurts a bit," Qin Lou said softly, as if whining or trying to distract him, "Don't do that to me again."

The dagger's damage was minimal, its greatest effect was numbness, and compared to the current pain, it was nothing.

Xiao Xueman couldn't stop his tears; he rarely cried, but now he couldn't control it.

He lifted his head, kissing Qin Lou's lips over and over, tasting the salt of his tears mixed with the increasingly intense scent of grass and wood from Xiao Xueman.

He had tricked him once before with this method, and using it again now, his mindset was completely different.

"Qin Lou, listen to me, listen to me," Xiao Xueman pleaded, his voice choked and broken, "Stop now, it's not too late. Qin Lou, listen to me this time, okay?"

Qin Lou: "No."

"Let's talk about something else," he continued, gently patting Xiao Xueman's back as if comforting a child, "Let's talk about something happy."