nyslfriends Chapter 426 The Severely Injured Tianxiangzi! The Remorseful Old Eunuch!
Chapter 426 The Severely Injured Tianxiangzi! The Remorseful Old Eunuch!
"Walk!"
Zhou Shan made a decisive move, put away the tattered Mountain and River Seal, and transformed into a streak of green light to flee into the distance.
Qinglian Daoist gritted his teeth and glanced at Chen Fan, but ultimately dared not fight again, and followed closely behind.
Chen Fan did not pursue.
He stood in mid-air, watching the two disappear into the horizon, before slowly withdrawing his power. The chaotic domain dissipated, revealing the ravaged earth below.
Barren mountains were razed to the ground, rivers were diverted, and forests were burned. Within a hundred miles, all life was extinguished.
Chen Fan looked down at the palms of his hands, where there were three fine cracks on each palm, from which pale golden blood seeped out.
"It's still too much of a stretch," he murmured.
The Yin-Yang Reversal was a killing move he comprehended after breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage. It uses the rising Yang and sinking Yin to create a chaotic domain, which can reverse the rules and disintegrate all laws. However, this move also places a great burden on himself. With his current cultivation level, he can only maintain it for three breaths at most.
That's enough.
Chen Fan turned around and looked towards the direction of the imperial city.
There, the battle was nearing its end.
Of the thousands of disciples of the Qingyun Sect, more than half were killed or wounded, and the rest scattered and fled. Eunuch Wei and his men were chasing after the remaining enemies, with the big black dog chasing them the most enthusiastically, biting them one by one with great relish.
The cultivators of the Great Abyss began treating the wounded and clearing the battlefield. Emperor Jianwen, Xiao Quanli, stood amidst the ruins of the palace, commanding with composure; though his face was covered in blood, his eyes shone with light.
Chen Fan took a step forward and returned to the skies above the imperial city.
"Master!" Xiao Quan looked up in surprise.
Chen Fan landed and surveyed the entire scene.
Above the ruins of the imperial city, the autumn wind carries the stench of blood and dust.
When Chen Fan landed, the blue bricks beneath his feet had shattered into dust. Amidst the surrounding ruins, soldiers were carrying away the corpses of their comrades, while cultivators sat cross-legged, meditating and recovering, all bearing injuries.
"Master!" Xiao Quan rushed forward, his dragon robe stained with blood, but he couldn't hide the excitement in his eyes. "The Qingyun Sect has been defeated!"
Chen Fan nodded slightly, his gaze falling on several still-burning palaces in the distance: "What are the casualties?"
"More than 3,700 soldiers and 83 cultivators were killed in action," Xiao Quan said in a low voice. "The number of civilian casualties... is not yet fully tallied, but it is at least over 10,000."
Chen Fan remained silent for a moment, then turned to Eunuch Wei and the others.
The eight people and one dog were gathered together, all covered in blood, yet all in high spirits. The big black dog was even licking the blood off its paws, looking as if it hadn't had enough.
"Eunuch Wei," Chen Fan said.
"Yes! Eunuch Chen, what are your orders?" Eunuch Wei bowed hurriedly, his obsequious smile returning to his face.
Chen Fan pointed to the devastated imperial city: "You take Lao Huang, Ling Huanzi, Wu Yuezi, Qing Fengzi, Qing Yizi, Tian Yu Daoren, and... the Black Emperor."
He paused, glancing at the large black dog: "Go repair the imperial city. Repair the array formations, city walls, palaces—anything destroyed—as soon as possible. If you don't have enough materials, get them from the storeroom; if the storeroom doesn't have them, go to Xiao Quan to request some."
Eunuch Wei was taken aback, then rubbed his hands together and laughed, "Eunuch Chen, I'm a rough man, this palace repair work..."
"Go when I tell you to." Chen Fan's voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable authority. "All seven of you are at the Core Formation or Foundation Establishment stage; moving mountains and stones is a piece of cake for you. Black Emperor has a keen nose; let it search underground for any living people buried there."
"Can Black King do this?" The big black dog heard its name, looked up, barked, and wagged its tail.
"Yes, yes, yes, I'll take care of it right away!" Eunuch Wei dared not say anything more and hurriedly called out to everyone.
Old Huang grinned, shouldered his machete, and headed off: "Repairing houses? This old man's an expert!"
Ling Huanzi frowned as he looked at the collapsed palaces: "Some parts of the structure are destroyed, and we have to rebuild the foundations..."
"Save the people first, then repair the houses," Qingfengzi said calmly, already heading towards a collapsed house.
After the seven people and the dog dispersed, Chen Fan turned to Xiao Quan and asked, "Where is Tian Xiangzi?"
"It's in the back hall of Qian Yuan Hall." Xiao Quan quickly led the way, "Master, please follow me."
The two passed through the ruins, bypassed several still-smoking halls, and arrived at a relatively intact side hall. More than ten cultivators guarded the hall, and they all bowed when they saw Xiao Quan arrive.
"Your Majesty, Senior Chen."
"Everyone, step back," Xiao Quan waved his hand.
After everyone stepped back, Chen Fan pushed open the door and entered.
The room was simply furnished with only a jade bed and a few tables and chairs. Tian Xiangzi lay quietly on the jade bed, her pink dress mostly soaked in blood, her face as pale as paper, and her breathing so weak it was almost imperceptible.
Chen Fan walked to the bedside and reached out to feel her pulse.
The moment his fingertips touched his wrist, his brows furrowed sharply.
With meridians exhausted and dantian empty, the fire of the soul flickers like a candle in the wind, about to be extinguished.
The most troublesome thing is that the backlash from the Soul Burning Technique has penetrated deep into the very source of the soul, a kind of trauma that is almost a Dao injury.
"Master, Senior Tianxiangzi, she..." Xiao Quan hesitated, unable to finish his sentence.
"The Soul-Burning Technique uses the soul as fuel." Chen Fan withdrew his hand, his voice low. "To protect the Great Abyss, she forcibly used this technique to resist the two Nascent Soul cultivators, and her soul is on the verge of collapse."
He took out three jade bottles from his storage bag.
The first jade bottle contained three "Spirit Nourishing Pills," second-grade pills specifically for treating injuries to the spirit, and should also be effective for the soul.
Chen Fan took out one, dissolved it with spiritual power, and slowly fed it into Tianxiangzi's mouth.
As the medicine took effect, Tianxiangzi's pale face regained a little color, and her breathing became slightly more even, but she still showed no signs of waking up.
Chen Fan, without relaxing his brow, opened the second jade bottle.
The bottle contains five drops of the Golden Bowl of Divine Water.
This is the essence that he refined after the golden bowl absorbed the spiritual energy of the Qingyun Sect when he was in seclusion and broke through to the Nascent Soul stage. Every drop contains pure heaven and earth energy, which has a miraculous effect on nourishing cultivators.
He carefully picked up a drop and dripped it into Tianxiangzi's brow.
The moment the spiritual water touched her skin, it transformed into a pale golden light and seeped into her. Tianxiangzi's soul fire flickered slightly, seemingly growing a little stronger, but then dimmed again.
Chen Fan remained silent for a moment before transferring the remaining four drops of spiritual water into the vessel.
Golden light flowed around her, repairing her damaged meridians and nourishing her depleted dantian. But the Dao injury deep within her soul remained as stubborn as a malignant tumor, completely unmoved.
After an incense stick's time, the medicinal power of the spiritual water dissipated.
Tianxiangzi remained unconscious, but her complexion was no longer so pale, and her breathing had stabilized at a weak level, no longer deteriorating.
But that's far from enough.
"Master, Senior Tianxiangzi, she..." Xiao Quan's eyes were full of worry.
"Soul injuries cannot be healed by ordinary pills." Chen Fan slowly stood up and looked towards the outside of the hall. "It requires the intervention of a cultivator who specializes in the path of the soul, or the presence of special rare and precious materials."
He paused, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes: "I'm going to Grass Valley."
"Grass Valley?" Xiao Quan was taken aback. "Isn't that Senior Tianxiangzi's..."
"It's her family." Chen Fan nodded. "Her father, Gu Daozi, and that third-grade alchemist, Old Man Long, might be able to help."
Xiao Quan quickly replied, "This disciple will arrange the flying boat immediately..."
"No need," Chen Fan waved his hand. "I can go alone faster. You guard the imperial city. Once Eunuch Wei and the others have finished repairing it, then set up a new defensive formation. Although the Qingyun Sect has been defeated, there's no guarantee that other unforeseen events won't occur."