FRGNM -Chapter 156 Caught Being Watched

Ting Hai was startled and quickly clasped his hands in salute. “My King, you must not. Time flows differently inside Death Island than it does outside. One day outside might already be a year inside. With the Eastern Capital King there, the Queen will be fine.”

“It’s precisely because he’s there that I can’t rest easy!” Cold light flashed in his eyes. “I’m going to Death Island. You all stay here!”
The silver-white figure strode toward the sea.

His silver sleeves fluttered as a silver gate suddenly opened. Without hesitation, he stepped through it coldly.

“Boom!”

“Damn it to hell!”

Another curse exploded from the person on the ground, who was on the verge of madness. Three months—she had been chased by these things for three whole months. Unless she truly couldn’t hold on anymore and was about to be killed, that man would never step in to help her, only taking her to another place to rest. But at most three hours later, the River-Crossing Black Ants would catch up again.

After three months, she had grown so thin she was practically skin and bones. Taking a direct hit like this made her stomach spasm violently; nausea surged, yet all she could vomit was sour liquid.

The densely packed ants continued closing in. Ling Ruoxi instinctively tightened her grip on the torch, flung the oil block forward, and flicked her right hand. The torch fell, and another deafening explosion rang out. Yet no matter what, the magical beasts could still replenish their numbers even under such blasts.

“Damn it!”

Wishing she could kick all the ants flying in front of her, Ling Ruoxi turned and ran. Flames roared behind her, but the clever ants quickly rolled in the dirt, extinguishing the fire on their bodies.

Since when did these magical beasts become so smart?!
Seeing the carefree figure ahead, Ling Ruoxi wanted nothing more than to stuff the fire striker straight into his mouth. At least give her a hint—just one hint!

“Oh? Still need to keep going? With speed like this, your aptitude is really too dull,” the Eastern Capital King said, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly as he smiled faintly.

Her steps faltered. Ling Ruoxi hooked a stone from the ground and hurled it toward the source of the voice. But in that instant, she froze. Her raised right hand hadn’t yet fallen as she turned her head to look—yet the man was still standing there, unmoving.

Then just now…

Could it be?!

Her black pupils contracted sharply. A flash of realization rippled through her mind. She suddenly flipped backward in midair, clutching the Hetian Jade as her consciousness sank inward.

In that moment, mountains and water became clearer; even the movements of the River-Crossing Black Ants were vividly visible. She remembered—back in the Eastern Capital, this man had taught her that although Dou Qi practitioners possess Dou Qi, victory does not come from suppressing the opponent with it, but from making the opponent unable to sense one’s presence. When that happens, victory is already achieved.

This realm of unity between heaven and man—Heaven–Human Unity—had taken her a full two years of training in the Eastern Capital to barely grasp. And what she had just seen was exactly the same as when she first arrived here.

So that was it. The Eastern Capital King had concealed his aura and merged with heaven and earth. That was why the ants couldn’t detect his presence.

Without the scent of humans, these beasts would naturally leave!

Perhaps driven by desperation, Ling Ruoxi entered deep meditation almost instantly this time. At that moment, her aura vanished entirely from Death Island. Even the ants that were preparing to attack grew confused, circling in place for a while. Some even crawled up her pant legs, only to wave their massive pincers helplessly before retreating with a rustling sound.

The River-Crossing Black Ants hunted by sensing human aura, but their maximum range was only fifty li. Once successfully shaken off, they could no longer smell Ling Ruoxi.

The Eastern Capital King’s lips curved upward in a calm smile. It seemed Ling Ruoxi wasn’t stupid—at least she had thought of Heaven–Human Unity. But how long she could maintain it was another matter.

Sure enough, the meditating figure suddenly trembled. Her aura leaked out again. Her small face flushed red as she abruptly opened her eyes and looked at the ants retreating ahead—only to see them pause, then turn around and charge back toward her.

“Damn it—this is over!”

Every hair on her body stood on end. Ling Ruoxi turned and ran. If she couldn’t beat them, wasn’t she at least allowed to run?

Heaven–Human Unity might be powerful, but it had its limits. Even outside, she could only maintain it for the time it took to burn a cup of tea. But just now…

Wait—

Ling Ruoxi froze. The time she had just maintained it should have been as long as a stick of incense, right? If so, then this was the result of her cultivation here?

“What are you standing around for?” the Eastern Capital King laughed softly, lifting the corners of his mouth. He pressed a hand to Ling Ruoxi’s shoulder and lifted her upward. With a wave of his hand, a purple barrier spread around them. The ants below halted, sensed around helplessly, and could only retreat.

Ling Ruoxi, however, twitched at the corner of her mouth. “So barriers and formations work too?!” Then why had she used the thing she was worst at—Heaven–Human Unity? She should have set up a formation to block them!

“If that’s the case, do I still need to train you?” the Eastern Capital King said lightly as he landed on the ground. Since Heaven–Human Unity had been trained out, it was time for her to rest.

Rolling her eyes at him, Ling Ruoxi finally felt relaxed after three long months of training. Sleeping only three hours a day and constantly fleeing—did he think this was a game, waiting for GAME OVER?

“I know you’re exhausted, but before you rest, you must do two things,” the Eastern Capital King said with a faint smile as he released her.

Ling Ruoxi nearly collapsed on the spot. Leaning against a tree trunk, she barely managed to stand and raised an eyebrow. “What two things? Just say it.”

“First, go take a bath.” Pinching his nose, the Eastern Capital King turned his head away.

Pfft!

Ling Ruoxi almost spat blood. She’d been chased by ants for three months, sleeping only three hours a day—when had she ever had time to bathe?!

She’d been gnawing on dry rations for meals! And her clothes had been torn countless times while fleeing. Luckily, she’d packed plenty of clothes in her storage ring, or she’d have been naked long ago.

“Second, after bathing, you’re not allowed to sleep. No matter how tired you are, you must meditate and focus. Otherwise, you won’t even be able to maintain Heaven–Human Unity,” the Eastern Capital King said with a light smile, pointing toward a small river ahead. “That’s an uninhabited area. Magical beasts won’t go there. You can bathe peacefully.”

“And you?” she asked.

“Relax. I won’t peek. Besides, there’s nothing worth looking at…”

“…”

It was a small river connected to the mountain range—not as comfortable as a hot spring, but with a refreshing coolness that seeped into the bones. She didn’t know why she felt so drawn to that pool of water.

Slowly removing her clothes, the curvy figure stepped forward, letting the clear river water envelop her. The moment the water touched her wounded body, she shivered as a tingling sensation spread everywhere.

Her gaze sharpened. Ling Ruoxi scooped up some water and looked at her injuries—astonishingly, they were gradually healing as she soaked!

So the water of Death Island had healing properties. If she took some of it out, wouldn’t that mean—

But as soon as the thought surfaced, she ruthlessly dismissed it. She didn’t even know what dangers lay ahead. What was the point of thinking about taking water out now?

Still…

A mischievous smile curled her lips. She quickly dove underwater. With a flick of her right hand, a bottle appeared. Since the water could heal, why not bring some along?

Splash—

At the same moment, a thoroughly bedraggled silver-white figure suddenly appeared in the sky, missed his footing, and plunged straight into the river.

“Cough—cough—”

Gasping for breath, Luo Mingyu’s face turned green. That damned guardian divine beast was getting bolder by the day—it had actually thrown him here!

After sensing his surroundings and confirming there were no River-Crossing Black Ants nearby, Luo Mingyu finally relaxed. Dragging his soaking-wet body, he started toward the riverbank.

If he ran into that foolish woman, he’d definitely punish her severely. Did she think Death Island was somewhere she could casually come to? Utterly reckless!

“Pfft—almost suffocated me!”

At that moment, a black figure emerged from the water. Long black hair was swept back, falling over her shoulders. Her small face was drenched, yet she looked like a child as she casually put the bottle into her storage ring.

But Ling Ruoxi’s gaze suddenly became unfocused. Why did that silver-white figure ahead look so familiar…?

She paused, then nearly wanted to slap herself. The Eastern Capital King favored red—how could he be wearing silver-white? And the man who liked such clothes was probably still on Evil King Island.

“I must really be seeing things. How could Luo Mingyu be here?” As the Lord of Evil King Island, he was of noble status. Having broken away from Qiongyu Immortal Island, once he returned he’d surely be recognized. How could he take such a risk?

“You’re not seeing things,” a deep voice said. The man slowly turned around. His expression was dark, and the killing intent in his eyes was so intense it nearly swallowed Ling Ruoxi whole.

Every hair on her body stood on end. Her eyes widened in shock as she pointed at Luo Mingyu.
“You—you… how did you get here? Luo Mingyu, weren’t you on Evil King Island? I—”

This foolish woman! Did she think this was an ordinary forest outside, a place where she could strip naked and bathe? Did she really think Death Island was like her residence? On Death Island, countless magical beasts could transform into human form—if they ran into her like this…

Feeling Luo Mingyu’s scorching gaze, Ling Ruoxi instinctively looked down at herself.

Whoosh!

Her face flushed red instantly. She yanked her hands up to cover her chest and instinctively crouched into the water.

But she was floating in the middle of the river, her feet not touching the bottom. Panicking, her body tipped backward and she fell into the water.

“Idiot!” Luo Mingyu laughed helplessly. He reached out, grabbed Ling Ruoxi by the arm, and pulled her into his embrace. His silver-white robe draped over her body, covering the exposed spring scenery.

“Cough—cough…” Nearly choking on the water, Ling Ruoxi patted her chest and glared at him angrily. “Luo—Luo Mingyu, did you come all the way to Death Island just to spy on me bathing?!”