Nine Nether Dragon Emperor

Chapter 428 428: Someone else to do the work, and I actually hesitated! I'm really not human!

"Why aren't you using it?" You Ruo asked, utterly baffled when she saw Ning Xuan put the Elixir away.

"I'm not about to die just yet," Ning Xuan said. "If you lose control again, I'll use it then."

At his words, any thought You Ruo had of taking the Elixir back vanished instantly. Instead, she was filled with guilt.

Ning Xuan was so severely injured, yet he was still thinking of her. And what about her? She was still fixated on the Elixir. I'm such a terrible person!

Regrettably, the guilt-stricken You Ruo didn't notice the fleeting smile in Ning Xuan's eyes at all.

"Can you tell me what exactly happened?"

To avoid arousing You Ruo's suspicion, Ning Xuan decided to figure out what was going on and then make a quick exit. After all, he'd already sheared his wool. If he wanted to keep shearing, he couldn't get caught this time.

You Ruo fell into deep thought. A moment later, she suddenly looked around alertly.

"There's something wrong with this place!"

"Oh? Have you noticed? More than one person just died here, but there's no scent of blood at all!"

Ning Xuan inwardly praised her, feigning realization. In reality, he had already confirmed this and had even witnessed the entire process of the blood scent's disappearance. The scent of blood drifting near the ground seemed to be confined by an invisible, massive hand and forced downward! It didn't sink straight down, but rather poured in the direction behind Ning Xuan.

Therefore, Ning Xuan boldly guessed that if Xuan Ge was responsible, it must still be underground somewhere up ahead.

With that, Ning Xuan lost interest in dealing with You Ruo. Cheng Dabao was still up ahead. If *she* lost control, getting her to recover would be far more difficult than it was with You Ruo. Most importantly, she was penniless. There was no wool to shear, and Ning Xuan had no desire to create unnecessary difficulties for himself.

"Damn it! Dabao is in danger!"

Leaving these words behind, Ning Xuan vanished. You Ruo was left staring blankly in the direction he had disappeared, completely dumbfounded.

This guy doesn't have the slightest idea how to treat a lady!

But she also recognized the gravity of the situation and immediately gave chase.

Up ahead, Ning Xuan's pursuit continued for a good hundred miles. Corpses still littered the path, but this time was different. In addition to blade wounds, some of the bodies bore other kinds of marks.

Suddenly, Ning Xuan skidded to a halt at the edge of a bottomless Abyss! A large boulder, dislodged by his sudden stop, tumbled over the edge. Ning Xuan listened intently, but even by the time You Ruo caught up, he had heard no echo. It was too strange.

You Ruo stared at Ning Xuan for a long moment before suddenly blurting out, "You weren't really injured just now, were you?!"

Ning Xuan, who was standing in front of her, gave no reaction. Just as You Ruo was about to speak again, he turned and held a finger to his lips. She immediately fell silent.

A moment later, he spoke. "I just knocked a large stone over the edge, and I still haven't heard an echo. That's not normal!"

"Then what should we do?"

As You Ruo was speaking, Ning Xuan suddenly grabbed her hand. While she was still confused, he pulled up her sleeve, revealing her fair arm.

"What do you think you're—"

Before she could finish her sentence, You Ruo was dumbfounded. Ning Xuan had sliced open her arm. Blood dripped straight down into the darkness.

"It's right down there!" Ning Xuan's excited voice rang out.

Now You Ruo understood his reasoning, but she was still so furious she could grind her teeth to dust.

"Ning Xuan, why didn't you cut yourself?!" she demanded through clenched teeth.

This guy is no man at all! Who does something like that!

"If someone else was standing next to you, would you cut yourself, or would you cut them?" Ning Xuan retorted confidently.

"I..." The answer that instinctively flashed through her mind left You Ruo speechless.

"But you're a man! You shouldn't..."

Before she could finish, Ning Xuan cut her off. "As far as I'm concerned, men and women are equal."

As he spoke, Chu Tian's mobile apartment materialized before them. You Ruo immediately clamped her mouth shut. She had seen this thing before. She had wanted to monopolize it—no, *borrow* it—but no matter how she threatened or cajoled, Chu Tian had refused to yield.

"Are you coming?" Ning Xuan asked as he prepared to step aboard.

"What do you think?!" she shot back through gritted teeth.

"But this mobile apartment is a bit cramped, and I am a man, you know."

You Ruo's mouth twitched. She replied without expression, "It's fine. Men and women are equal!"

"True. In that case, could I trouble you for some Divine Crystals?" Ning Xuan said matter-of-factly, holding out his hand.

You Ruo wanted nothing more than to kick this rotten man off the ledge. That damn man! He's always scheming against me! And the worst part is, there's nothing I can do about it! It's so infuriating!

She considered lying about her Storage Ring being gone, but one look from Ning Xuan made her abandon the thought. Fine, I'll be the bigger person and not stoop to his level!

With that, she handed over tens of thousands of Divine Crystals to him.

"Excellent. After you, please."

Ning Xuan gestured for You Ruo to get on. As he was about to step aboard himself, the corner of his mouth curved into a smirk.

Then, THWACK!

A head was lopped off! A headless body plummeted into the Abyss.

You Ruo spun around, her expression turning ugly as she saw the severed head dangling from Ning Xuan's hand.

"You used me as bait?!"

Ning Xuan nodded matter-of-factly. "I'm no Jiang Taigong. Fishing requires bait."

Though You Ruo had no idea who Jiang Taigong was, she was taken aback by Ning Xuan's frank admission. Just as she was about to offer a sarcastic remark, she had a sudden realization. With a strange look, she asked, "So, everything you just did... it was all to make the enemy lower their guard?"

"Nope. I just genuinely wanted to shear some wool off you," Ning Xuan denied, cleanly and without hesitation.

This time, You Ruo didn't get angry. Instead, she thanked him.

Ning Xuan was speechless. "What's wrong with you? I'm telling the truth!"

"I understand," You Ruo nodded like a submissive wife.

You understand nothing! Ning Xuan was too drained to even bother arguing.

The mobile apartment began its descent, with Ning Xuan standing watch outside, the severed head still in his hand.

You Ruo stepped out from inside. "Go rest for a bit. I can take it from here."

Ning Xuan looked at her, and she reminded him, "Men and women are equal."

Ning Xuan hesitated for a moment. Then he slapped himself across the face.

Someone's offering to do the work and I actually hesitated! I'm not a decent human being!

He then matter-of-factly tossed the head to You Ruo.

You Ruo's beautiful eyes widened in confusion, completely unable to understand why Ning Xuan had just slapped himself. But as she took the head from him, the weight of the responsibility made her instantly vigilant, leaving no time for other thoughts.

The mobile apartment continued its descent under Ning Xuan's control. Inside, Ning Xuan appeared to be resting with his eyes closed, but he was far from idle. He had pushed his Spiritual Sense to its absolute limit, blanketing an area dozens of miles in every direction with the mobile apartment at its center. Not the slightest disturbance could escape his notice.

As the apartment sank lower and lower, the oppressive atmosphere grew stronger.

Suddenly, You Ruo's urgent telepathic message sounded in his mind, "Ning Xuan, stop! Now!"