The changes in his hands were so familiar, yet he, who had once been so intimate with them, did not notice anything different.
He squeezed his legs through, but the other person was stiff and didn't make any further moves.
Fu Mingxu snapped out of his reverie, tilted his head slightly to look at him, and asked in surprise, "Han Tao, you're not good now?"
A note from the author:
Han Tao: I can do it!
Chapter 91
Han Tao's forehead veins throbbed as he was questioned, but the other man's expression remained innocent, as if he had done this to him a thousand times before.
"Is it not okay if it's not there?" He even wanted to pull back the cover and bury his head to look, wanting to investigate his "indifference" to the end.
That hand was soft and warm, yet restlessly moving around. Han Tao truly understood what it meant to be unable to stop, and also experienced what it meant to be in dire straits.
He knew that Fu Mingxu was not in a good state at the moment, otherwise he wouldn't be so clingy to him.
But he couldn't bear to let go, and greedily wanted more.
The demonic markings on his forehead were gradually deepening. As his mind wavered, the demonic energy that had been stirring for a long time tried to take the opportunity to erode the last bit of gold in his pupils and devour the only clarity he could maintain.
Han Tao noticed that the demonic energy surging from the demonic seed was increasing at an abnormal rate, and he knew that this was because his mind was not strong enough at the moment.
The warm, moist skin moved gently to his neck, caressing and licking it. Han Tao clenched his fists, his pupils, filled with demonic energy, showing a frantic struggle.
Finally, unable to bear it any longer, he struck Fu Mingxu on the back of the neck with a palm strike, catching him as he slumped down.
After carefully laying Fu Mingxu down, he slammed his fist against the stone wall next to him, causing a dent and numerous cracks to appear.
Han Tao braced himself against the stone wall with one hand, his head bowed, covered in sweat, his whole body tense.
The surge of emotion within him almost overwhelmed him. The person he had longed for but dared not approach was now embracing him and demanding his attention. Heaven knows how much strength and pain he had to endure to push him away.
He recalled the demonic energy within his body and the tainted blood, and an indescribable resentment welled up in his heart.
When he realized that this resentment would breed the growth of demonic energy, he could only slump against the stone wall, panting.
He has become the strongest fallen god in the world, but he has also lost the possibility of being with Fu Mingxu.
He even destroyed the world that Fu Mingxu depended on for survival.
The pain of realizing this instantly overwhelmed the pain from all the wounds on his body, even the abdominal wound that had almost taken his life.
For the first time, Han Tao felt despair.
When Fu Mingxu woke up, he felt warm all over, and he knew that the leaping dragon flames had dispelled the cold for him.
Recalling everything that had happened before, he pursed his lips slightly.
This was the same cave where he had stayed with Han Tao before. He sat up and looked for that familiar figure. As he turned around, he saw the figure sitting against the stone wall.
The figure was very familiar to him. He remembered the dazzling gold of those eyes when they opened, and he also remembered the gentle smile on that face that was indifferent to ordinary people when facing him.
That was Han Tao before he became possessed by a demon. They went through many things together, and he felt the other's love in their daily interactions.
But the magic mark on his forehead told him that no matter how hard he tried, no matter how many turns fate would make because of him, it would eventually move in the same direction and end up with a predetermined ending.
Fu Mingxu was unwilling to accept this.
He must have been sleeping restlessly; Fu Mingxu could see the furrowed brow between his eyebrows.
Fu Mingxu didn't wake him, but instead took out the blood-clotting herb he had collected earlier and began processing it. He was very careful in his movements, as without a pill furnace, he could only use the most primitive method to enhance the medicinal properties.
Han Tao had been in a light sleep. He woke up when Fu Mingxu's breathing changed, but he seemed to be hiding and didn't want to open his eyes.
He thought he would leave.
But it didn't sound like anything, and there was some rustling noise, but I couldn't tell what was going on.
When Han Tao could no longer hold back and opened his eyes, Fu Mingxu had already finished preparing the herbs. He lifted his eyelids to glance at Han Tao, then walked up to him and said in a calm tone, "To treat the injury, lift up your clothes."
Seeing the surprise and doubt in those eyes, he suddenly laughed, "When I touched you earlier, I happened to have healed your wound. Consider these herbs as my thanks for saving me."
The thought of "settling the score" suddenly popped into Han Tao's mind, which startled him, and he subconsciously dodged backward.
Fu Mingxu raised an eyebrow when he saw his actions. He squatted down, lifted the fabric of his clothes at his lower abdomen, frowned when he saw the still bleeding wound, and muttered, "Aren't you afraid of bleeding to death?"
After saying that, he slapped the herbal medicine onto the affected area.
The herbs he had specially processed had reached their optimal medicinal properties, but they were also the most potent. Fu Mingxu thought he would grimace in pain, but to his surprise, he didn't even flinch.
If it weren't for the lingering aroma of the herbs in his nostrils, he would have thought he had picked up the wrong one.
"Doesn't it hurt?" Fu Mingxu asked him.
The person squatting in front of him had cascading black hair and eyes that shone like stars. The person reached out with a rough touch, yet applied the medicine with gentle care, as if afraid of hurting him.
Han Tao lowered her eyelashes and finally spoke: "It doesn't hurt, I'm used to it."
Putting aside the time he was bedridden, during the days he was besieged after falling into demonic possession, especially when he was stabilizing his demonic energy in the early stages, he suffered countless injuries.
He had long been accustomed to the pain. As the demonic energy gradually eroded his dragon body, his ability to heal himself weakened, and he had become used to living with pain for a long time.
"That's not a good habit," Fu Mingxu said, pursing his lips.
Two days of the ten-day period had already passed, and there was still no progress. He wanted to try a different approach to find a solution.
The two looked at each other in silence. He couldn't stand the silence any longer, so he said, "This herb won't heal your wound immediately, but it will help stop the bleeding and aid in the healing process."
Han Tao was not happy to hear this; instead, he felt as if Han Tao was giving instructions before leaving.
Sure enough, his next words were: "You stay here and heal your wounds. We'll part ways here."
After saying that, he stood up, took a step, then stopped talking, his expression conflicted. He then took out a wooden box and handed it to him, saying, "You may have many questions, but I would never harm you."
"This box should contain what you're looking for."
Under the influence of the Xuan power of the Heaven and Earth Xuan Mirror, Fu Mingxu knew that the wooden box contained Han Zhengzhi's Dragon Soul.
With the dragon soul extracted, Han Zhengzhi must have been annihilated, and the dragon meat that Bai Lengxia and the others mentioned earlier was probably related to this.
He originally intended to keep it a secret to avoid upsetting Han Tao. But he was also afraid that Han Tao would frantically search for him again, causing trouble.
After thinking it over, he took it out anyway.
Han Tao slowly took the bag. He closed his eyes, clearly knowing what was inside, but didn't ask any further questions.
Fu Mingxu wanted to say a few words of comfort to him, but then felt that anything he said would be superfluous at this moment. He was also heartbroken by Han Zhengzhi's fate.
But he had more important things to do.
He gave Han Tao a deep look, then left.
...
Fu Mingxu went to the East Sea this time. The Heaven and Earth Mystic Mirror was very fast. Without expending any spiritual energy, it took him to the East Sea in less than half a day.
Once upon a time, wisps of demonic energy rose from the blue sea, and countless fish and shrimp were pushed ashore by the waves, emitting a unique fishy smell along the coastline.
Enveloped in chaotic energy, Fu Mingxu took a deep breath and then jumped into the East China Sea.
This startled Han Tao, who had secretly followed them, and he quickly followed quietly.
The further down he went, the colder Fu Mingxu felt. Fortunately, the dragon flame was still there, and the golden light it emitted could not only illuminate him, but also help his body maintain a constant temperature.
The seawater was thick, but he swam very fast. Following his memories of the merfolk, he arrived at the floating city in half an hour.
Strangely, the barrier outside the floating city has disappeared.
Fu Mingxu nimbly dodged the demonic energy drifting in the seawater and swung his legs into the floating city.
Without a sound or the presence of any merfolk, the once-prosperous floating city, now unprotected by its barrier, was completely exposed to the seawater. The houses inside were even eroded by the seawater, becoming dilapidated and unrecognizable.
Fu Mingxu swam around inside, but he didn't see a single live fish or shrimp, let alone any mermaids.
He didn't waste any more time lingering there, but instead turned and went to the Merfolk King's Palace.
The guards who once watched over it are no longer there, and the dazzling crystal palace is now covered with wildly growing seaweed, as if it has stood for countless years.
On the palace walls, where seaweed was exposed, many scratches left by battle were visible, being washed by the sea again and again.
Fu Mingxu stared at the dark entrance of the palace for a while before turning and leaving.
This time, he went to the location of the blood coral.
Perhaps because the trench is located in such a remote place, this coral has not been eroded by the demonic energy and is growing well.
Fu Mingxu stood under the blood coral tree and waited for a long time, but the dragon whale did not arrive. He had no choice but to take a few smaller blood corals and leave a bag of spirit stones.
But he knew that the spirit stone might not be claimed for a long time, because he could no longer find any trace of the dragon whale's former life at the Blood Coral.
Not only the surface of the Cangling Continent, but even the seabed has undergone earth-shattering changes.
Fu Mingxu eventually went to the Mermaid Realm.
The entrance to the whirlpool he once jumped into has disappeared, the seawater around the whirlpool has dried up, the life and death array with the Three Lives Stone as its core has been broken, and several huge merman statues stand silently, never leaving.
As more and more anomalies were discovered, Fu Mingxu's heart sank heavier and heavier. He walked over step by step, looked at the flowers and plants next to the mermaid statue that had been withered for who knows how long, squatted down and touched them with heartache.
Someone forcibly opened the Mermaid Realm, and he quickly found the Three Lives Stone. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that it was still safely in place.
The Life and Death Formation has been broken, and cracks have appeared on the smooth surface of the Three Lives Stone, indicating that the formation was forcibly broken.
Fu Mingxu guessed that the person who broke the formation was after the tomb below.
The Heaven and Earth Mystic Mirror moved at will, its surface reflecting his image. Fu Mingxu gently waved his hand across the mirror, causing the chaotic energy and profound power to merge and then disappear into the Three Lives Stone.
Under the influence of the Heaven and Earth Mystic Mirror, the Three Lives Stone emitted a faint light.
He saw Han Tao standing before the Three Lives Stone, his back slightly bent, once again.
The other person's clothes were still dripping with blood, and their golden eyes, which were entangled with demonic energy, revealed a deep sorrow.
Fu Mingxu once thought this was Han Tao's inner demon, but when he saw his actions in the stone mirror, he knew that he had misjudged it before!
The reason is that his golden pupils were only slightly eroded by demonic energy at this time, clearly showing the appearance when he first fell into demonic possession.
Everything that Fu Mingxu once saw in front of the Three Lives Stone is repeating itself.
He stood there, stunned, as if struck by lightning.
He remembered that when he said it was Han Tao's inner demon, Han Tao acquiesced.