Stepping into the space crack was like jumping from the roof of a hundred-storey building.
Unfortunately, there was no air resistance to stall their fall and they hurtled towards the ground.
"Azhen..." Jiang Yue screamed and held his husband tighter
He had always been a thrill seeker but he didnât enjoy the feeling of freefalling from a high height.
Most importantly, he didnât know where the bottom was and when they would hit the ground.
"XiaoYue, there is something in the air." Yu Nianzhen said and moved to mobilise his sword domain.
He planned to hide himself and Jiang Yue within the domain to avoid the light particles that were rushing towards them.
However, neither his qi nor his sword intent responded.
"XiaoYue, can you use your qi?"
"I canât." Jiang Yue answered urgently.
If they couldnât use their qi, it meant they couldnât activate their defence treasures or coat their bodies with qi.
Essentially, they were defenceless and could only grit their teeth and endure the light particles.
"Donât let go of my hand no matter what happens."
"I know."
A moment later, the light particles surrounded them and rushed into their bodies.
Soon after, pain-filled screams echoed in the surroundings, followed by the sound of involuntary crying.
After what felt like a lifetime, Yu Nianzhen extended a trembling hand to touch his husbandâs face.
"XiaoYue..." He called.
Like his hands, his voice was trembling badly and the sound was so low that it could barely be heard.
"Azhen... Jiang Yue responded and his hand tightened around his husbandâs.
When the light particles entered his body, he felt like he was being cut by a million knives.
The experience was so painful that he wished for death.
Fortunately, the feeling of his husbandâs hand holding his own kept him sane and he endured.
"Azhen, they are coming again." Jiang Yue choked and both watched as more light particles came toward them.
In despair, the two held hands and waited for the inevitable pain.
This time, the pain was worse than the first time.
When it was over, neither said a word and the light in their eyes was almost half gone.
At this time, a voice entered their minds and they looked at each other.
[Azhen, master and the others want to come out. What should we do?]
[Letâs tell them the truth and let them decide.]
After saying that, Yu Nianzhen sent his master a voice transmission.
The original plan was to let everyone out when they found the treasure location.
However, nothing was going as planned.
Yu Nianzhen and Jiang Yue didnât even know if there was a treasure location.
All they knew was that they would die if they encountered a few more instances of the light particles.
"XiaoYue, take one tree of life leaf." Yu Nianzhen said.
Although there were a few leaves branded on their bodies, they hadnât activated since they encountered the light particles.
Yu Nianzhen didnât know if eating a leaf would help the situation but it was the only thing he could think of.
"Good." Jiang Yue said and removed a leaf from his storage ring.
âItâs a good thing our storage rings donât need qi to use.â He thought and swallowed the leaf.
Unfortunately, things didnât go as hoped.
As usual, the leaf melted in his mouth and the elixir fell into his stomach.
However, the medicinal effect did not disperse. Instead, it settled in his stomach and Jiang Yueâs body was unchanged.
"It didnât work." He said.
"It also didnât work for me." Yu Nianzhen said and the two looked at each other.
After a while, they smiled and a different look entered their eyes.
"XiaoYue..."
"No need to say more. I know." Jiang Yue said.
Since transmigrating to the Cangxing world, both had encountered many things and endured a lot of pain.
However, this was the first time they were driven to the point of desiring death.
At this time when they wished for death, a stubborn desire for life was born.
They thought about their plans for the future and suddenly became angry.
It was one thing to die for a reason and another to die inexplicably.
Yu Nianzhen and Jiang Yue didnât want to die so unreasonably and their hearts were overwhelmed with defiance.
Since they didnât want to die, why should they die?
They looked at each other and the firmness in their eyes resonated.
"Azhen, I want to eat soul beast meat when we get out of here." Jiang Yue said.
Unfortunately, Yu Nianzhen only had a chance to nod before they were enveloped by light particles.
A lifetime later, they managed to suppress the after-effects and smiled at each other.
Soon after, Bing Lan, Yang Xu, and Xuan Ke were released from the ancient palace.
"Brother Yu, brother Jiang, how are you doing?" Xuan Ke asked worriedly.
However, Yu Nianzhen and Jiang Yue no longer had the strength to speak.
All their mind was focused on enduring and they only looked at the new arrivals.
"Whatâs wrong with them?" Xuan Ke asked.
"Their vitality is very low." Bing Lan said worriedly and Yang Xu frowned.
Before they came out, the two told them about the freefall and light particles.
However, they underestimated the situation and didnât expect the two to be so miserable.
"Focus your minds and prepare yourself." Yang Xu said and the other two turned solemn.
"I donât know the purpose or outcome of this situation but no matter what happens, you must endure."
"We know." Bing Lan and Xuan Ke said.
Unfortunately, all their preparations were for nought.
When the time came and the light particles entered their bodies, none of the three could hold on.
They screamed until their throats tore and their bodies were covered with cold sweat.
For the next short while, screams and sounds of crying echoed in the space crack.
However, after that while, silence returned to the space.
Unlike before, the silence was eery and filled with despair.
It reeked of misery and overwhelming hopelessness.
In this way, time passed.
It was unknown how much time passed but the five who were still falling felt like it was an eternity.
They silently endured the pain of being invaded by light particles and their souls went numb.
Even when the bottom loomed in front of them, none of the five reacted.
They took no measures to protect themselves against the space storm at the end of the space tear and their bodies were instantly covered in deep cuts.
Fortunately, the space storm was only for a moment and they soon fell on solid ground.
âAm I alive?â Yu Nianzhen wondered as his eyes stared at the sky above.
The weather was sunny and the blue sky was dotted with fluffy white clouds.
However, his mind couldnât process any of it.
The warmth of the sun was just that. He couldnât comprehend it or care about it.
The only real feeling was the hand that was still held in his stiff one.
[XiaoYue.] He called.
[I am here.] A hoarse voice answered.
After that, both went silent.
The previous experience was indescribable and their bodies vividly remembered the pain.
Although they had escaped that hell, they still felt like they were in it.
[What about master and the others?] Jiang Yue finally asked.
[I donât know.] Yu Nianzhen said and made to stand up.
However, his body was extremely heavenly and he felt like he was rooted to the ground.
He couldnât move a single finger, let alone his body.
[I canât move.] He said.
[Me too.]
[Try to circulate your qi.]
After that, both fell silent and tried to circulate their qi.
Fortunately, the situation was not as before and they could both mobilise their qi.
With a sigh of relief, they circulated their qi, trying to regain some feeling to their body parts.
Time passed quickly and before they knew it, eight days had passed.
After working hard, they managed to barely regain some mobility and could finally move.
As soon as they could move, they rolled towards each other and hugged tightly.
"That was terrible." Jiang Yue said and Yu Nianzhen chuckled.
He had no words to describe the experience and he couldnât wait to forget.
"What was the point of it? Did you gain anything?"
"I donât know." Yu Nianzhen said and frowned.
When he was recovering, he felt something different with his body.
However, the feeling was vague and he couldnât catch it.
"I will know for sure when I fully recover." He said.
"It would be good if there was some gain from that situation." Jiang Yue pouted as he lay in his husbandâs arms.
"Do you know how much time has passed?"
"I lost track of time."
"Mmmm...., take brother Li out of the ancient palace."
"Why didnât I think of that." Jiang Yue said angrily.
When he thought about how they suffered to regain some mobility, he couldnât help but curse their slow minds.