Wait, How Did My Digital Girlfriend Become a Sword Immortal? Chapter 883: Even if all living beings perish... what does it matter to her?

Although Chen Huaian was rendered speechless, his connection with Li Qingran was such that even a slight movement of his lips conveyed volumes to her.

"My current circumstances are dire."

Chen Huaian let out a silent sigh, his gaze drifting into the distance, shrouded in thought.

"On Earth Star, the heavens themselves have fractured."

"I poured every ounce of my strength, deployed every ultimate tactic I possessed. Yet, that was Taishang Laojun, a Sage who mastered harmony with the Dao eons ago."

His lips moved with agonizing slowness, each word a painful exhalation, as if drawing forth blood and tears.

"The very Dao Rhythms of the universe descended, crushing my physical form, my very Divine Soul... in that instant, they were utterly annihilated."

Li Qingran observed her Master's profile, her silence profound.

As Chen Huaian recounted his ordeal, she vividly pictured the scene that had shaken the very foundations of existence: a hand eclipsing the sun, a millstone pulverizing all things, and a lone figure standing resolute amidst the devastation.

Her eyes instantly welled with tears, blurring her vision, yet she fought to keep them from falling, desperate not to miss a single word from her Master.

"However..."

Chen Huaian's tone shifted, a wry, self-deprecating smile touching the corners of his lips.

"Your Master proved resilient, not entirely vanquished."

"At that pivotal juncture, an entity identifying itself as the 'middle corpse' drew me into a cosmic chess game, separate from the Three Realms."

"Mid... middle corpse?" Li Qingran echoed, startled. "You mean the middle corpse from the 'Severing the Three Corpses' technique?"

"Precisely," Chen Huaian confirmed, sensing Li Qingran's thoughts and offering a bitter smile. "Your Master is, in essence, one of those Three Corpses – the lower one, to be exact. Reunification of the Three Corpses is inevitable, enabling a borrowed True Body for rebirth, a breakthrough in cultivation, and the attainment of the ultimate Great Dao."

Chen Huaian himself was uncertain of his true nature.

However, given the middle corpse's revelation and its subsequent disappearance, he could only tentatively accept its explanation.

"How to explain the middle corpse to you... The conduit enabling our meeting was this middle corpse. In my perception, it masqueraded as an entity known as a 'System'."

Noticing the bewilderment in Li Qingran's eyes, he elaborated, "The so-called System can be understood as a trader. I supply the resources it desires, and in return, it provides me with what I need – a mutual exchange. For instance, that Thunderfire Talisman used to repel the demon wolf when we first met was acquired through such an exchange with the System."

Li Qingran nodded, grasping the rudimentary concept of the System.

It seemed clear that without the middle corpse acting as an intermediary, her destiny would have diverged significantly, and she likely would never have encountered her Master.

"And the chess game?"

Even though the answer was likely already known.

As Li Qingran posed the question, she held her breath, her demeanor cautious and attentive.

"I triumphed by a mere half-step."

"As the price, and simultaneously as the reward... the middle corpse sacrificed itself."

Chen Huaian lifted his translucent hand, observing the faint, ethereal patterns shimmering on his palm.

"It preserved the last remnant of my Divine Soul and dispatched me here – likely its pre-arranged escape route, the Canglan Realm."

At this juncture, Chen Huaian's expression darkened.

Escape route.

These simple words carried a weight as heavy as a thousand pounds.

Why had the middle corpse undertaken such a sacrifice?

Merely to prolong his existence?

No.

Chen Huaian understood with stark clarity.

Should he return to Earth Star in his current state, even if his Golden Body were reforged, even if he regained his former peak...

Facing that ancient Taoist priest, enthroned in the Tushita Palace, he would be akin to an ant attempting to topple a colossal tree!

Beneath the Sages, all beings were but ants.

Furthermore, among the myriad of gods and buddhas, beyond Taishang Laojun, stood the profoundly enigmatic Heavenly Emperor Haotian, and the tranquil yet potent Tathagata of the Spiritual Mountain, who had yet to make his move.

He was still exceedingly inadequate.

This brush with "death" had illuminated many truths for him.

Arrogance and stubbornness were mere follies in the face of absolute power.

Yet, he harbored no regret for his unwavering resolve.

It stemmed from the fact that he had been unaware of any potential escape.

When faced with a path leading to certain doom, to still fight with the ferocity of a cornered beast – no one could justly accuse him of cowardice.

"Husband..."

Li Qingran's voice suddenly broke the silence, interrupting his introspection.

She moved closer, her exquisite, lovely face nearly touching Chen Huaian's chest.

Though physical contact was impossible, the radiant warmth in her eyes seemed to ignite Chen Huaian's very Divine Soul.

"Since we have arrived in this Canglan World, let us not return to that chaotic Earth Star anymore."

Her voice was incredibly soft, tinged with hints of both obsession and resolute stubbornness.

"The legends speak of great cultivators severing the Three Corpses to attain the Dao, with the eventual reunion of these Three Corpses being paramount. Now that the middle corpse has willingly offered itself, becoming an integral part of your power, you are, in essence, a more complete version of yourself. You possess the power of both the lower and middle corpses; the upper corpse surely cannot contend."

"As for that Earth Star, and those Sages..."

Li Qingran's lips pressed together, a flicker of profound selfishness surfacing in the depths of her gaze.

"What does any of that have to do with us?"

Her voice gained a newfound firmness.

"Although the Canglan Realm is merely a Small Thousand World, there is no Taishang Laojun here, nor any of those insurmountable monstrous beings."

"Let us recuperate and bolster our strength here for the time being, alright?"

"When Master attains greater power, surpasses his previous strength, and possesses the confidence to defeat that so-called Taishang old man... then perhaps we can venture out? Or, we could simply remain within the Cangyun Realm or Canglan Realm, never to depart!"

As long as Master remains safe and sound.

As long as Master stays by her side.

Even if the entire world were to crumble, even if all living beings were to perish...

What concern would that be of hers?