The Witch Spirit’s magic artifact was truly a life-saving tool in times of crisis.
It carried Shang Ningye and Mu Qiuhan to a place hundreds of miles away from Leng Yi.
As soon as Shang Ningye landed, her body crumpled forward.
A mouthful of fresh blood sprayed onto Mu Qiuhan, who was still unconscious beneath her.
“Little Ye!”
Chuxue emerged from Shang Ningye’s embrace, gazing at her with a worried expression. “Are you injured?!”
Shang Ningye gently shook her head.
“It’s alright, nothing serious. I was just affected by the spiritual energy, but there’s no great harm.”
Despite saying this, she powerlessly slumped onto the ground.
At this moment, the spiritual energy within Shang Ningye was incredibly chaotic, and she couldn’t even gather the strength to move.
An attack from a Mahayana cultivator was not to be trifled with, even if only a corner of her clothes had been grazed.
Chuxue knew this place was still not too far from their previous location.
If that one called Leng Yi came after them, it might only take a short while.
They absolutely could not stay here for long.
Thereupon, it transformed into a giant beast, lifted Shang Ningye and Mu Qiuhan one by one from the ground, held them steadily on its back, and then quickly ran towards the Jade Dragon Abyss.
Along the way, it smelled the scent of many demon soldiers, something it hadn’t encountered during its previous journey.
This was unusual.
Perhaps they were all coming for Mu Qiuhan.
Chuxue therefore became more cautious.
For this, it sacrificed speed, even taking many detours, just to carefully bypass those scents.
By the time it finally neared Jade Dragon Peak, Chuxue discovered that there were actually demon soldiers on the Rainbow Bridge as well.
Fortunately, those soldiers’ cultivation wasn’t too high, probably all at the Core Formation stage, but there were seven or eight of them.
If it couldn’t subdue all the demon soldiers simultaneously, someone might seize the chance to send a message, and word would get out.
Chuxue didn’t dare to risk attacking, so it patiently lay in wait on the spot.
However, the people on its back seemed unable to wait any longer.
Shang Ningye’s situation was a bit better. After regulating her spiritual energy the whole way, she could now sit up straight using her own strength.
But Mu Qiuhan’s condition was truly quite bad.
Her heart meridian had been forcibly shattered by Leng Yi using spiritual energy, and she was clearly on the verge of death.
Shang Ningye watched it and grew anxious.
She pulled out a few spiritual energy restoring pills from her storage ring and shoved them all into her mouth.
She regulated her spiritual energy for a moment, and then took a breath.
After that, she pressed her head against the spiritual beast’s head and, using the unique sound transmission method of the demon race, silently said to it, “Chuxue, please think of a way to lure them all away. I’ll take her back first.”
“Can you do it alone?”
Chuxue, feeling a bit uneasy, looked back at Shang Ningye.
Shang Ningye calmly nodded.
Chuxue gritted its teeth.
At present, perhaps this was the only way.
It gently put down the two on its back, and after thinking for a moment, walked alone towards the Rainbow Bridge.
Shang Ningye waited somewhat anxiously.
By the time all those demon soldiers had been lured away, she gently picked up Mu Qiuhan from the ground.
Mu Qiuhan’s eyes were tightly closed, without the slightest movement.
Her arms hung powerlessly, and she no longer had the proud bearing she showed when facing Leng Yao.
Shang Ningye had never understood before why this woman would cultivate tirelessly as if possessed.
She didn’t know fatigue, wouldn’t rest, and even didn’t hesitate to expend her lifespan, as if her only purpose for living was to enhance her spiritual energy.
Now she knew.
She just wanted to live.
Was she truly that legendary demon lord who reigned supreme?
Why did she look even more fragile than a baby at this moment?
Shang Ningye had already walked near the Rainbow Bridge.
She activated her spiritual energy, transformed her body into strands of soft vines, completely wrapped Mu Qiuhan’s body for full protection, and then leapt into the depths of the Jade Dragon Abyss.
Within the secret realm, the rich scent of plants and wood allowed Shang Ningye to regain some vitality.
She returned to her bedroom, took off the blood-stained clothes on Mu Qiuhan’s body, and then embraced her and leaned against the bed.
Shang Ningye slowly unbuttoned her upper garment.
She peeled off, layer by layer, the white cloth tightly binding her chest.
Although that ghastly wound on her chest had shrunk significantly, it could never fully heal.
Shang Ningye could only adopt the most primitive method.
Normally she transformed spiritual energy into strands of threads, forcibly bound the wound shut, and then used white cloth to wrap it up layer by layer.
However now, she took off the white cloth and withdrew the spiritual energy threads, and that spot near her heart began to slowly seep blood again.
Shang Ningye lowered her head and calmly glanced at the speed of the blood flow.
After a moment, she silently took out her usual dagger from her storage ring and slowly reopened the wound that had finally healed partially.
Mu Qiuhan knew nothing in her unconscious state.
However, after a while, her nearly stopped breathing slowly deepened.
Chuxue successfully lured that group of demon soldiers into the thick forest behind the mountain. After that, it followed the current of the cold pool back to the depths of the Jade Dragon Abyss.
Before entering the room, it smelled a heavy scent of blood.
Chuxue thought inwardly, ‘This is bad.’
It practically flew into the room.
Inside the room, Mu Qiuhan and Shang Ningye both had their eyes tightly closed, lying quietly on the bed.
Mu Qiuhan was still in that same unconscious state as before.
Shang Ningye, on the other hand, had a deathly pale face. Her chest area was disheveled, a light bloody color had already soaked through the white cloth, and faintly seeped through her clothes.
Chuxue quickly stepped forward to check on her.
Indeed, she had only roughly treated the wound before fainting due to excessive spiritual energy depletion.
Chuxue looked at these two trouble-plagued people before it and deeply sighed.
Shang Ningye woke up at dawn.
A ray of morning light illuminated the bed woven from vines, and also dyed a hint of red onto their pale faces.
Seeing this, Chuxue let out a sigh of relief.
Although it wasn’t the first time it had dealt with such a situation, the worry in its heart remained as strong as the very first time.
Shang Ningye got up and checked Mu Qiuhan’s injuries.
The meridians within Mu Qiuhan’s body were slowly repairing, but she herself was still unconscious.
Shang Ningye again untied the white cloth on her chest.
Seeing this, Chuxue leapt up.
“Are you crazy! You just woke up!”
It tried to stop Shang Ningye’s actions.
Shang Ningye shook her head at it. “Her injuries are too severe, she still needs a bit more.”
“Then it doesn’t have to be now!”
Hearing this, Shang Ningye softly smiled.
She lowered her head and glanced at her chest, then spoke again. “This blood won’t stop anyway, it would be a waste for it to flow away for nothing. Go help me get that bottle of purple pills.”
In a hazy state, Mu Qiuhan always felt someone leaning over her.
By the time she had the strength to open her eyes, she saw that Shang Ningye was sitting before her, tipping a jade cup filled with red liquid towards her mouth.
She was powerless to refuse, so she obediently drank it.
That liquid carried a bloody scent, but felt cool upon entering the mouth, like a handful of sweet rain in the desert.
Mu Qiuhan soon fell asleep again.
When she woke up again, she saw clearly that Shang Ningye was using a jade cup to catch the blood flowing from her chest wound.
She powerlessly raised her arm, trying to stop her.
“Don’t…”
Shang Ningye stepped aside, carefully raising the cup so Mu Qiuhan couldn’t touch it.
“Be careful.”
Although the words were scolding, the tone was gentle.
This cup of liquid, carrying her body temperature, was again fed into Mu Qiuhan’s mouth.
Day after day, Mu Qiuhan watched Shang Ningye repeat that action.
Again and again, she handed her that cup filled with her life, until one day, she could finally sit up and steadily grasp her arm.
“Don’t give me any more.”
Shang Ningye looked at her softly, coaxing her like a child.
“The last cup, it can’t be put back anyway. Be good, listen to me.”
She again brought the jade cup to Mu Qiuhan’s mouth.
Mu Qiuhan didn’t know what had bewitched her at this moment, but she actually opened her mouth and accepted it.
By the time that cup of blood had all been poured into her mouth, Mu Qiuhan came back to her senses.
She pushed away Shang Ningye’s hand by her lips, wanting to snatch away the now empty jade cup from her hand.
She originally thought it would be difficult, but Shang Ningye’s limbs seemed even more powerless than hers.
The jade cup easily came into Mu Qiuhan’s hand.
Mu Qiuhan stared blankly at the vessel in her hand. For a moment, she forgot everything she wanted to say.
Finally, she just softly said to her, “We agreed it was the last cup. You can’t break your promise.”
Shang Ningye lightly hummed.
She seemed a bit tired, so she lay down beside Mu Qiuhan and slowly closed her eyes.
Shang Ningye quickly fell into a deep sleep.
Mu Qiuhan held the jade cup in her palm and looked at it again and again.
After that, she finally absentmindedly put it aside.
As if afraid of disturbing Shang Ningye’s sleep, she tremblingly reached out to touch Shang Ningye’s deathly pale face.
Her fingertips lightly brushed over Shang Ningye’s brows and eyes.
Shang Ningye seemed to sense something; her eyelashes lightly trembled at this moment.
Mu Qiuhan quickly pulled her hand back.
“Why did you save me?”
She gazed for a long time at the person deeply asleep, murmuring her question.
The only response was Shang Ningye’s light, shallow breathing.
Mu Qiuhan rested on the bed for a few days and was visibly much more energetic.
No longer shedding blood daily, Shang Ningye’s body also recovered quite a bit.
Her face was still pale, but looked rosier than the previous few days.
All this was due to that bottle of wound medicine left behind by the Witch Spirit. Unfortunately, the quantity was limited, only enough for one person.
Although Mu Qiuhan didn’t use the medicine again, Shang Ningye’s heart blood itself was an excellent medicinal ingredient, and she recovered very quickly.
The injuries in her meridians had all been repaired, plus the numerous spiritual pills used to replenish spiritual energy, and on a certain day, Mu Qiuhan suddenly felt the spiritual energy within her body loosening, as if she was about to break through.
