That spiritual energy carried a vast vitality of plants and trees, seeming not entirely the same as the wood-element spiritual energy found in cultivators’ bodies.
Mu Qiuhan only felt that wherever that spiritual energy passed, the fine lines on her meridians were all smoothed over.
She cultivated for a few cycles, and feeling that her injuries had significantly improved, she opened her eyes to thank the owner of that spiritual energy.
“Thank you, Immortal.”
Ahead, Xuan Kong, who was flying on his sword, glanced back at her.
“Why are you calling her Immortal? Address her as Grand Martial Aunt!”
Mu Qiuhan didn’t respond.
She ignored Xuan Kong and directly took out the cultivation methods he had just given her, one by one.
She scanned through them quickly.
Seeing her read intently, Xuan Kong stopped speaking and disturbing her, but a hint of quiet joy rose in his heart.
This newly accepted disciple was quite diligent.
The three traveled for a while, passing through the small town at the foot of Dragon Profound Mountain. Xuan Kong seemed to think of something and actually stopped voluntarily.
As soon as his sword landed, Mu Qiuhan saw him turn back to ask her, “You haven’t abstained from grains yet, have you?”
She was taken aback.
Abstain from grains? She had completely forgotten about that.
Aside from the day she arrived at Jade Dragon Ridge, when she ate something with the other disciples before entering the mountain, she hadn’t eaten a single grain since.
No wonder her stomach and intestines had been subtly aching these past few days. She had thought it was the Fire-Breath Worm acting up, never expecting it was just because she was hungry…
Mu Qiuhan nodded expressionlessly, once again feeling utterly dissatisfied with this body.
Xuan Kong led the two of them to purchase some food and supplies in the market.
The small town at the foot of Dragon Profound Mountain was still bustling, the market exceptionally lively. The demon race seemed not to have disturbed the residents nearby.
Mu Qiuhan took the opportunity while the other two weren’t paying attention to quietly leave some marks in hidden spots.
Hopefully Wu Ling can find them.
After walking around the town, they happened to encounter a patrol team sent out by the sect.
Xuan Kong exchanged greetings with the leaders, Perfected Jing Yun and Perfected Jing Yang, and the two groups went their separate ways.
Mu Qiuhan had carefully counted. Besides the two Integration stage elders leading them, the entire team had dozens of disciples.
Most of their cultivation levels were between the Nascent Soul and Spirit Transformation stages, and two or three had even entered the Void Refinement stage. Their overall strength wasn’t weak.
She wondered how many people Wu Ling had brought this time.
Shang Ningye saw that she was staring at the patrol team for quite a while and thought she was worried about them, so she offered a few words of comfort.
“Elder Jing Yang and Elder Jing Yun’s cultivation is only below that of the Acting Sect Master and Elder Xuan Kong. I checked Yu Qing’s injuries earlier. Although that person from the demon race is powerful, she shouldn’t be able to do anything to them alone.”
Mu Qiuhan simply hummed in response.
Judging by that, Wu Ling might be a bit outnumbered this time.
She frowned slightly.
Hopefully she doesn’t act too recklessly.
After moving a little further, she suddenly felt that the surrounding air was too quiet.
Mu Qiuhan was extremely familiar with the aura and techniques of her people. Even though her cultivation was far below Xuan Kong’s, she detected the approaching person before he did.
She subconsciously moved a few steps towards Shang Ningye.
This person’s cultivation level wasn’t much higher than hers, and her spiritual arts were only used for healing, without any offensive power at all.
If attacked, she would likely be powerless to retaliate, and injury would almost be certain.
Mu Qiuhan remembered the scene when she had just healed her, and was even more grateful for her help in suppressing the fire poison within her body. Privately, she didn’t want her to get hurt.
So, when that familiar crescent moon blade ripped through the void and swung towards her, Mu Qiuhan alone stepped in front of Shang Ningye.
After the sound of a sharp blade slicing through flesh, Mu Qiuhan was heard shouting loudly, “Quickly, run!”
She violently yanked Shang Ningye, who was behind her, and threw her to Xuan Kong’s side.
Xuan Kong had also detected the enemy attack by this time.
He swung out with his sword, his sword intent only catching a corner of the demoness’s clothes, and then saw the entire person, blade and all, vanish.
He had never seen such an unusual movement technique and felt very surprised for a moment.
Considering Shang Ningye by his side and the already injured Mu Qiuhan, he didn’t pursue.
The spiritual energy fluctuations here quickly attracted the patrol team that hadn’t gone far.
They gathered together, looking at the already injured Mu Qiuhan, and were momentarily at a loss.
Mu Qiuhan’s injury wasn’t severe; she only had a cut on her left arm from the crescent moon blade. Although it was bleeding profusely, it hadn’t injured the bone or muscle.
She swallowed the medicinal pill Xuan Kong handed her, and Shang Ningye helped heal her wound with spiritual energy. At this moment, she was quite energetic.
Even so, it still made the elders leading the team worry deeply.
With such thorough precautions, the demon race still dared to come again! How many of them were there, exactly?
But in fact, they were completely overthinking.
Wu Ling had only brought a few trusted subordinates this time. At this moment, they were scattered throughout the small town at the foot of Dragon Profound Mountain, preparing to lie in wait and ambush the Immortal Sect disciples when the opportunity arose.
The few of them had no idea that three Integration stage elders had come from the Immortal Sect today; otherwise, they wouldn’t have planned this way.
Wu Ling had just targeted the weakest person among that group of cultivators.
Although there was an Integration stage cultivator among the three, she believed that relying on her blade techniques and her magic artifact that could quickly shift locations, with one strike taking one person down, she could escape completely unharmed.
Who knew that just as she activated her magic artifact and appeared beside that person without anyone noticing, and her curved blade had just swung out, someone grabbed her wrist.
Startled, her wrist was forcefully pulled aside by that person, cutting one of the other person’s arms.
Wu Ling only felt that something was quickly stuffed into her palm, and then a hurried “Quickly, run” made her subconsciously activate the magic artifact before she even had time to think.
At this moment, she was hidden somewhere a few miles away from that group of cultivators, not daring to reveal her aura in the slightest.
Although her magic artifact could quickly shift locations, it could only be used twice a day.
The other side currently had three Integration stage cultivators. She knew that even if she could escape, she would be severely injured and exhausted.
In that fleeting moment earlier, she hadn’t truly seen the person who grabbed her wrist.
She only took a quick glance just as she activated the magic artifact to leave.
However, that one glance startled her.
That person clearly cultivated immortal arts, yet her appearance was remarkably similar to the Lord’s.
Wu Ling even wondered if she had seen wrong.
Thinking back to the divination she performed a few days ago…
Although the divination’s meaning wasn’t very clear, it clearly indicated that the future of the Demon Realm was related to the Supreme Clarity Immortal Sect.
She had originally thought that the divination meant the Demon Realm and the Supreme Clarity Immortal Sect were sworn enemies, incompatible like fire and water.
She reported this to the newly appointed Demon Lord, who, unexpectedly, believed that the race had been severely weakened and was temporarily unsuitable for another war with the Immortal Sect.
She came here alone out of spite.
Even if she couldn’t confront the people of this Immortal Sect directly, she would at least disturb their peace.
However, looking at it now, had she completely misinterpreted that divination?
Could the divination have been referring to the Lord who was already ‘lost in battle’?
Wu Ling felt a bit confused for a moment.
She carefully discerned the aura of those cultivators in the distance, feeling that they were still staying together, seemingly not pursuing.
Wu Ling let out a breath of relief.
She opened the thing in her palm and found that it was actually a map of the interior of the Supreme Clarity Immortal Sect.
Although the map wasn’t very detailed, the general layout and even the potential locations of formation cores within the Immortal Sect were clearly marked out in red by someone.
Looking at the extremely familiar handwriting, a spark of hope suddenly ignited in Wu Ling’s heart.
The Lord hasn’t fallen yet!
In that case, the plan must change.
She concealed her figure and aura and quickly headed towards the mountain forest outside the town before the Immortal Sect people could pursue.
At the same time, a message talisman ignited at her fingertips.
A few wisps of pale grey smoke rose into the air, transforming into invisible birds, silently flying towards different directions of the small town.
…
Perfected Xuan Kong looked at his disciple, who had gotten injured within half a day of descending the mountain, and for the first time felt some concern about having brought Shang Ningye out.
He had solemnly promised earlier to look after her, yet when it came down to it, it was thanks to that newly accepted little disciple.
This little disciple’s level of alertness far surpassed ordinary people. She really didn’t seem like a Golden Core stage child.
A trace of doubt flashed in Xuan Kong’s heart again.
However, her injury was real, and she didn’t hesitate when saving someone.
Xuan Kong saw clearly that if she hadn’t protected her with her body, Shang Ningye might have been carried back up the mountain again even before leaving the sect’s territory today.
And that child…
He had already checked earlier. Aside from the slightly strange fire-element spiritual energy within her body, she was indeed just a Golden Core stage child.
Her bone age, and even her cultivation level, matched.
Thus, the trace of doubt that had just surfaced was forcibly suppressed by him again.
Mu Qiuhan had no idea what kind of trouble her unintentional kindness just now had saved her from.
She remained lost in thought, thinking to herself, It’s good that Wu Ling is still alive.
This scene, seen through Shang Ningye’s eyes, made it seem like this person had occasionally shown a trace of a silly smile ever since she was struck just now.
Her gaze fell upon the blade wound on Mu Qiuhan’s arm, thinking, Could the demon race’s weapons have been coated with medicine?
She used her spiritual energy to repair Mu Qiuhan’s meridians again, but still didn’t find anything unusual in her body.
Using her spiritual energy twice in a short time to heal someone, Shang Ningye’s inner core felt empty.
But considering this person was injured trying to save her, she forced herself, making the spiritual energy carefully probe every inch of Mu Qiuhan’s meridians before finally withdrawing her hand.
Shang Ningye’s face was pale.
As soon as Mu Qiuhan looked up, she saw the person in front of her swaying unsteadily.
“Be careful, Immortal!”
She reached out and caught her, sighing.
Originally, I was the one injured, so why does she look even weaker than me right now?
Mu Qiuhan felt that the wound on her arm had been completely repaired by that person, and even the fine lines in her meridians had been carefully mended again. For a moment, she felt a bit helpless.
Doing this over and over, when will I ever be able to fully repay this debt of gratitude?
