Leading the Formation.
These two characters refer to the relationship between cultivators in which one side takes the lead while the other provides support. The leading side doesn't need to be overly powerful, but it should at least not be weaker than the cultivators being supported.
Xu Zhen glanced at Ma Xiaohong and asked with concern, "Are you okay?"
Since entering the Great Saint Ruins, Ma Xiaohong had been trembling, possibly due to epilepsy.
Ma Xiaohong swallowed and shook her head, replying, "I'm fine. I'm just a bit nervous. You don't have to worry about me. I can assist you."
"Good." Xu Zhen nodded and fell silent for a moment before speaking earnestly.
"Let's make it clear between us. Although you're using Xia Ge's flying sword to lead the formation for me, I owe you a genuine debt of gratitude. Whenever you need it, I will repay this debt to you."
"No, there's no need." Ma Xiaohong quickly shook her head. This time, she didn't stutter. With a serious and nervous expression, she emphasized once again, "No need."
"We will." Xu Zhen retorted.
"No." Ma Xiaohong said earnestly.
...
After some back and forth, neither of them convinced the other, so they fell silent, waiting for the appearance of the great opportunity in the Great Saint Ruins.
Xu Zhen stood with her hands behind her back, looking around idly. There wasn't much tension in her expression. Over the years, she had become more open-minded.
Obtaining a great opportunity in the form of the Great Saint Ruins would certainly be good, but not obtaining it didn't mean she couldn't survive, right?
Certainly not.
Even without obtaining it, she would still live on, continue cultivating, and possibly achieve the level of quasi-saint. There were great emperors in the history of various realms and dimensions who didn't obtain a great opportunity like the Great Saint Ruins at all. Some great emperors even started from humble beginnings and matured late, becoming emperors in their old age, invincible for tens of thousands of years.
The great opportunity of the Great Saint Ruins only allowed one to progress faster on the path of cultivation; it didn't guarantee becoming an emperor.
After all, not everyone was Chen Xia.
Chen Xia obtained the Universal Celestial Dragon Opportunity, which was a true opportunity to become a great emperor. It occupied the last seat of the Universal Celestial Dragon, which had been vacant for several eras.
It wasn't a certainty that he would become an emperor since there were too many unexpected events on the path of cultivation, and he might meet an untimely demise.
However, as long as he didn't die, Chen Xia would definitely become an emperor using the seat of the Universal Celestial Dragon. This was the legacy.
For Chen Xia, the great opportunity of the Universal Celestial Dragon was already comparable to a great emperor's opportunity.
Of course, this was only true for Chen Xia. For anyone else, it was just an ordinary great opportunity of being a quasi-saint.
This was also a two-way journey between the Universal Celestial Dragon's great opportunity and Chen Xia.
Xu Zhen exhaled deeply, and her hands behind her back moved forward, rubbing them slightly. She felt a chill between heaven and earth.
Thinking about it, it seemed that the daylight had decreased in recent days compared to before. Sometimes, there wouldn't even be sunlight shining down.
Did this mean that the Great Death Realm was about to be completely abandoned by the heavens?
Xu Zhen didn't quite understand, but she speculated that it might be the case.
If that were so, then not long after, the second opening of the Great Death Realm would occur, the appearance of the Great Emperor Ruins, and the arrival of quasi-saints and above.
The specific time should be after the opening of the eighth Great Saint Ruins.
Xu Zhen took another breath, and a faint cold air floated out in front of her, lingering in the air.
This time's Great Saint Ruins was only calculated by its name.
Extreme Yin Ruins.
Unlike the previous extremely yin and icy ruins, this is simply an extreme yin ruin, which should be related to the concept of extreme yin in the yin and yang virtual reality.
Xu Zhen was waiting.
Ma Xiaohong cheered herself on the side, constantly encouraging herself and silently chanting in her heart.
"Draw the sword, draw the sword, draw the sword..."
She held a sword in her arms.
She must strike out.
------------
Within the boundary.
First, there were small houses in the lower layer.
An elderly man sat on a small stool in front of the door, constantly exchanging greetings with passing cultivators. He had lived here for thousands of years and was very familiar with his "neighbors."
"Old Zhang, sunbathing again?" A light-hearted greeting came.
"Yes, yes." The old man squinted, deep wrinkles gathered on his face, radiating a joyful smile.
"But it's cloudy today." The greeting teased again, without any ill intentions, just the habitual banter among neighbors.
"Oh, really? I forgot." The old man touched his sparse hair and laughed again.
"Haha, that's hard to forget." The greeting ended with a laugh and quickly walked away.
Old Zhang sat alone on the stool, still pondering, "No sun, huh? Can't really tell."
He muttered to himself a couple of times, then suddenly reached out and tremblingly took out two pills from his pocket and swallowed them with difficulty.
One pill was effective for two hundred years and couldn't be repeated.
How many more years could he live?
It was hard to calculate. His mind was already dull, and his consciousness was blurred.
He was very old.
At this moment, he was still sitting on the small stool, with empty houses behind him.
Not to mention loneliness, it just felt a bit empty.
------------
"Xiaohong, draw your sword!" Xu Zhen shouted.
Buzz!
With a resounding sword cry, half of an immortal sword swiftly pulled Ma Xiaohong along and slashed forward, protecting Xu Zhen in the process. They complemented each other, one in front and one behind.
This was their first cooperation in over a thousand years.
Perhaps it wasn't perfect, as Ma Xiaohong sometimes lagged behind when drawing her sword, needing Xu Zhen to give the cue.
But it couldn't be blamed on Ma Xiaohong. After all, how could the consciousness of a Sea Inversing Realm keep up with a group of Heaven Mending Realms present?
Fortunately, their collaboration was still good. Their combat prowess was impressive during the fight, earning praise from other outstanding individuals. That's how they were evaluated.
Xu Zhen remained a top-notch talent in the Immortal Realm, and this flying sword and its sword slave were no exception!
As for who the sword slave was, it's not necessary to go into details. Those who understand, understand.
In any case, their fight within the Great Saint Ruins gained some reputation, which was considered useful. Ma Xiaohong did her best to support Xu Zhen, sometimes even blocking attacks for her, and then using her own physique and divine abilities to recover.
This was undoubtedly a great breakthrough for Ma Xiaohong.
Conversations between Xu Zhen and her became more frequent, and she often called Ma Xiaohong's name.
Ma Xiaohong would also respond softly, appearing somewhat nervous, mainly because that was her nature.
The two of them made some achievements, and Xu Zhen also gained some opportunities. Although they couldn't compare to the great opportunities of the Great Saint, it was still considered good and beneficial to her cultivation.
At this point, we have to mention one of Ma Xiaohong's great qualities.
She really never competed or fought for anything. Despite going through life and death situations for so many opportunities alongside Xu Zhen, she never asked Xu Zhen to share them with her. She truly didn't want them.
Ma Xiaohong had only one wish.
And that was to stay alive.
Xu Zhen was certain that Ma Xiaohong wasn't someone who sought cheap gains, so she divided the opportunity into two equal parts and made a fair agreement with Ma Xiaohong.
"We'll split it evenly. You can refuse if you want, but I must give it to you. It's a matter of principle."
"But it's useless to me," Ma Xiaohong expressed her confusion.
"Then you can sell it later and exchange it for spiritual stones. They should be useful to you," Xu Zhen's words were resolute.
"Alright," Ma Xiaohong nodded.
Their collaboration seemed to be on the right track, preparing for the next step.
But they were ambushed.
Led by the Little Sovereign, they were surrounded by figures from the Divine Realm, the Divine Child of the Immortal Realm, the True Transmission of the Twilight Realm, and the Lord of a Thousand Stars from the Dusk Domain.
It was a deadly situation!