The two cultivators' minds couldn't quite wrap around what was happening.
She, a personal disciple who had only joined the sect two years ago, was calmly standing there negotiating with a demon that even the Ninth Elder couldn't defeat?
And she hadn't been killed?
The two were clearly utterly bewildered. However, heavily injured and having exhausted their mental strength, they collapsed straight to the ground in the next second, completely unconscious.
The Ninth Elder also coughed up a mouthful of blood, barely managing to remain standing. “Y-You... how did you get out? Do the Hall Master and the Supreme Elder know about this?”
Song Yao giggled. “Hehehe.”
The Ninth Elder: “...”
Great.
She had snuck out.
If those elders found out, they would probably go stark raving mad with worry, wouldn't they?
He took a deep breath, circulating his qi, and asked again, “Are you injured?”
Before Song Yao could answer, the surrounding resentful spirits suddenly dispersed, vanishing entirely into the darkness. The resentful male demon, who had been standing in the center of the clearing just moments ago, also disappeared without a trace.
The Ninth Elder's heart jolted in alarm, and he hurriedly went to raise his sword again.
Song Yao reassured him, “It's fine. He's not fighting us anymore.”
The Ninth Elder asked, “How do you know?”
Song Yao replied, “I guessed.”
The Ninth Elder couldn't help but swallow a mouthful of bloody saliva.
When he had first emerged, he had seen her talking to the resentful male demon.
Could the two of them—no, this human and this demon—actually share some sort of history?
Was there really nothing this girl wouldn't do?
He opened his mouth, hesitating to speak, when he suddenly noticed another figure landing behind Song Yao. After studying him for a moment, he recognized him. “Are you... the young prince of the mermen race?”
Jingyu had been trapped in the swarm of resentful spirits earlier, so he currently looked a bit disheveled.
However, he instantly cast a spell to clean his clothes and hair, then cupped his hands to the Ninth Elder. “It is I, your junior. Senior Yun can just call me Jingyu.”
The Ninth Elder quickly asked, “You entered as well? Are you alone?”
Jingyu replied, “There are others waiting over there. Why don't we gather together first, lest things take another unexpected turn?”
The Ninth Elder nodded immediately and hurried to help the unconscious disciples off the ground, but Song Yao suddenly stopped him. “Wait a moment.”
The Ninth Elder instantly tensed up, whispering, “What is it? Is there still a problem?”
“Yes.”
Song Yao sat down, then lay back comfortably. “I'm about to faint too. If it's convenient, please carry me out. If it's not, I'll walk out myself when I wake up.”
“Thank you.”
With that, she closed her eyes and went completely silent.
The Ninth Elder: “?”
Jingyu: “?”
She was just jumping around and grinning a moment ago. How was she suddenly about to faint?
Not only that, but she was even fainting in such an orderly, methodical manner.
The Ninth Elder snapped out of his shock and hurriedly rushed over to check her breath, his hands trembling.
Only when he felt her breathing and detected a faint trace of spiritual energy still circulating within her spiritual meridians did he let out a massive sigh of relief, wiping the sweat from his brow.
Good heavens.
What kind of normal person fainted and had their breathing drop to a level that was practically nonexistent?
Jingyu also knelt down in a hurry, casting a secret spell to transfer some spiritual energy to her. His voice trembled slightly as he asked the Ninth Elder, “W-What is wrong with her? Why is she like this?”
“She is missing parts of her soul, and her body is frail.”
The Ninth Elder sighed softly and asked, “Did she fight anyone just now? Was it intense?”
Jingyu pursed his lips. “Outside, we were targeted by a faceless demon. She fought alongside us against it, doing most of the work. Then, after coming here, she clashed fiercely with the resentful male demon.”
The Ninth Elder massaged his temples, feeling utterly helpless.
These two great demons possessed extremely high cultivation. Even though he had inhaled demon toxin and was somewhat delirious, his cultivation was still there, yet he had still been defeated by them.
For her to fight these two battles with her current cultivation level, she must have exerted an immense amount of energy.
Though he didn't know why using her spiritual energy caused her such severe harm, it certainly wasn't a good thing for it to happen repeatedly.
Seeing his grim expression, the worry in Jingyu's eyes deepened. “Why is she missing parts of her soul? Why is her body so frail?”
However, the Ninth Elder simply shook his head, clearly unwilling to share too much with an outsider. “It might be a congenital condition. Let us head out first; we shouldn't linger here.”
He looked at the three people on the ground and said, “I wonder if the young prince could lend a hand and help me support these two disciples...”
His voice trailed off the moment the young prince of the mermen race carefully scooped Song Yao into his arms.
A piece of shark-silk cloth appeared out of thin air, draping over the unconscious Song Yao and wrapping her up snugly.
Jingyu freed one hand to gently adjust her head so that she was resting comfortably against his shoulder. “This is only right. There is no need for such politeness, Senior Yun.”
The Ninth Elder: “...Alright.”
The slightly battered and disheveled group hurried back toward the direction they had come from.
They had only walked a few steps when they ran into Ning Zhou and the others who had stayed behind.
Ning Zhou's eyes lit up, and he cried out in pleasant surprise, “Ninth Elder?! What are you doing here?!”
Then, he suddenly noticed the injured. “Wait, what happened to them?! What happened to Lin Mu?!”
The Ninth Elder said succinctly, “They are injured, but their lives aren't in danger for now. Let us head out first.”
A nearby cultivator quickly added, “We found the exit to this place! It suddenly appeared just now. Follow us.”
Ning Zhou, being highly perceptive, quickly stepped in front of Jingyu. “Young Prince, this is too much trouble for you. You can just hand Senior Sister over to me. I'll carry her.”
Jingyu merely tightened his hold slightly. “No need. I can manage.”
Ning Zhou scratched his head. “How could we trouble you like this? It's better if I do it. I am a body cultivator, so carrying her is easy for me.”
Jingyu said calmly, “It is fine. She is very light. It is no trouble.”
Seeing his persistence, Ning Zhou couldn't say much more. He thanked him and turned to take over the two disciples the Ninth Elder was supporting.
The two mermen guards fell back in line behind Jingyu, whispering, “Young Prince, why don't you let us do it?”
“Your body is of noble status, and you have already suffered after running around the demon realm for so many days. You must not exhaust yourself further. If the clan chief finds out, he will surely be heartbroken.”
Jingyu glanced at the Ninth Elder, who was struggling slightly. “I am fine. Go help Senior Yun and protect him well.”
The two guards were taken aback. “Senior Yun? But...”
But didn't they share a rather awkward relationship with the Nine Saints Hall?
Why was the young prince no longer holding a grudge?
Jingyu said in a tone that brooked no argument, “We are all family. Go, quickly.”
The guards: “...”
Since when were they family?
What on earth had happened inside just now?
The two exchanged a look. In the end, they didn't dare to leave their young prince completely unattended, so only one of them went to support the Ninth Elder.
...
The journey to the exit of the demon realm was surprisingly smooth. Not only did they not encounter any high-tier demons blocking their path, but they didn't even run into a single wandering resentful spirit.
The passageway was so quiet that only the sound of their staggered footsteps echoed, which instead bred a faint, underlying sense of unease in everyone's hearts.
The Ninth Elder walked to the front, warning them in a low voice, “The real danger lies outside. There might be demons waiting to ambush us. Do not let your guard down.”
He had the highest cultivation and the most experience here, so everyone instinctively trusted him. They hurriedly cast hand signs and gripped their swords, focusing their minds as they followed him into the teleportation formation.
Light and shadow flickered, and their feet stepped onto solid ground once more.
But once they clearly saw the scene before them, everyone froze in unison.
Rate on N.U.
