boyutpedia 539. Wounded and Escaped
539. Wounded and Escaped
Both of them remembered Ling Zhuo's instruction not to let Yao Qingyu leave, and their actions were not hindered by the change in events.
Their soul powers merged instantly, and then a tidal wave of energy swept out, shattering the air wherever it passed. Just as the attack was about to strike, Wei Jiangyuan's body trembled like a ghost, seemingly deftly dodging the attack.
The gray fog of the misty mountain surged violently, and Wei Jiangyuan's brow lit up. More black smoke seeped from his pores, condensing into dozens of afterimages behind the two, indistinguishable from real ones. Ling Luo and Ling Yu were about to give chase, but each was lured by the soul fluctuations deliberately leaked by three of the afterimages. Amidst the roar of them shattering the mountain rocks, Wei Jiangyuan's true body had already used the recoil to leap into the deepest part of the dense fog.
As Ling Zhuo watched Wei Jiangyuan and Yao Qingyu leave, his face suddenly turned ashen.
"Lingluo, Lingyu, you two go to the foot of the mountain immediately and control all directions leading out of Mist Mountain!" Lingzhuo's shout, carrying a soul-shaking pressure, boomed out: "The rest of you, follow me and search the mountain!"
He then turned to Cao Ying and Dan Chen: "I'm very dissatisfied with your performance just now. If you continue with this attitude, don't blame me for turning my back on you!"
This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to capture Yao Qingyu. If she escapes despite such a grand display, not only will their operation stall again, but they will also become more cautious, making it much harder to target her. Looking back on the whole affair, Ling Zhuo doesn't think he did anything wrong; he just had bad luck.
Ling Zhuo lightly tapped the surface of the Source Spirit Crystal with his fingertips, and ripples suddenly spread within the emerald green crystal, as if a liquid spring of life was surging within it. He glanced at Yi Xu, who was curled up on the ground—the latter's left shoulder was a bloody mess, and the remaining soul threads from the Hidden Shadow Needle were still raging in his meridians, the tearing pain making Yi Xu's face as pale as paper.
"What a piece of trash. If I didn't still have a use for you, I wouldn't want to waste my time." Ling Zhu sneered, and suddenly a spiderweb-like green light burst forth from the crystal in his palm. Countless delicate emerald veins extended from the crystal, piercing into Yi Xu's wound like living things.
Yi Xu let out a suppressed roar, as emerald energy flowed into his body through his meridians, colliding fiercely with the rampant soul threads. Black smoke rose from the wound, and rotten flesh peeled away at a visible speed, new tissue intertwining and regenerating like vines in the green light. Ling Zhuo clenched his fist, and mysterious runes appeared on the surface of the crystal. A wisp of condensed emerald liquid seeped from the core and dripped onto Yi Xu's brow.
Click.
Yi Xu's left shoulder bone cracked as the dislocated joint was forcibly reset by the green light. He trembled as he raised his arm; the previously festering skin was now smooth, with only faint pink marks remaining to prove the severe injury he had suffered. The light of the Source Spirit Crystal gradually dimmed, and Ling Zhuo casually put it back into his storage ring. Looking down at Yi Xu, who was kneeling and panting, he said sarcastically, "You're quite ruthless and dedicated in your work; no wonder Ling Fengzhui takes a liking to you."
Yi Xu bent over, panting heavily, a hint of madness in his eyes: "Thank you for the treatment..."
Ling Zhuo glanced around and saw that Ling Luo and Ling Yu had already gone out to surround the mountain. With them there, Ling Zhuo was not worried that Yao Qingyu could escape right under his nose.
He then led the group to follow Wei Jiangyuan's trail, giving final instructions: "Later, spread out the search, but maintain your distance. If you find anything, immediately gather everyone together and take action!"
……
Wei Jiangyuan fled with incredible speed, staggering as he leaped into the thickest part of the fog. Yao Qingyu, on his back, could clearly feel the burning heat emanating from his taut back, and subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.
"How did you end up here?" Yao Qingyu asked.
"Of course it's because you're so pretty, and I couldn't bear to leave you, so I followed you like a lecherous rogue."
Yao Qingyu clearly remembered something, and then looked at her waist, trying to find out why Wei Jiangyuan had been following her all this time.
"Don't bother, I've already removed the mark myself. You have a way to contact Xiao Yan, right?"
Yao Qingyu nodded in agreement: "Yes, but I'm afraid Xiao Yan will come and die in vain, so..."
"Qingyu, we're in so much danger, why don't you call for help quickly?" After saying that, she seemed to remember something: "I know you care about your Xiao Yan brother, but my worthless life is also a life... cough cough..."
Seeing this, Yao Qingyu knew that Wei Jiangyuan, who had single-handedly faced the combined attack of Ling Zhuo and several others and had even protected her, must also be injured. Her eyes darted around in panic, and she asked with concern, "Are you alright?"
Wei Jiangyuan was about to make a joke when he tasted something metallic and sweet in his mouth.
"You're badly injured; we need to find a way to help you recover."
"These injuries probably won't heal." Wei Jiangyuan feigned exhaustion, replying breathlessly, "Before I die... can Sister Qingyu not blame me for my... impetuous... actions...?"
"Ah!??? You can't be hurt! Stop, stop, I'll treat you right away."
Wei Jiangyuan didn't actually obey and stop, but continued leading Yao Qingyu forward, his tone returning to normal: "Little sister Qingyu is really kind and gullible. Of course, I was just teasing you, ouch...it hurts..."
"Are you stupid?! You're still saying such foolish things at a time like this." Yao Qingyu immediately raised her jade hand, but then remembered that she couldn't use her battle qi. She took out her jade talisman again, hoping to inform Xiao Yan of her location while also hoping to heal Wei Jiangyuan.
"I've already informed Xiao Yan, but I'm not sure if he'll come."
"With my unfailing ability to judge people, I believe he will come." Wei Jiangyuan nodded as well: "The most important thing now is that we need to hide quickly, otherwise even if he comes to save us, we won't have a chance."
……
Xiao Yan sat cross-legged in a cave that wasn't actually part of the Misty Mountain. Before him lay the Black Demon Medicine Cauldron, and under his guidance, the crimson Lotus Heart Flame continuously controlled the blood-red pill within. A ferocious aura, identical to that of the Crimson-Eyed Demon Ape King, was being slowly extracted from the pill by Xiao Yan.
The fragrance of the medicine grew stronger, and dark thunderclouds slowly gathered in the sky above Xiao Yan's head. Xiao Yan was not surprised but rather delighted; the ability to condense heavenly thunder meant that the quality of this pill was likely to break into the eighth rank.
After much contemplation, his self-created eighth-grade elixir formula was finally about to be successfully tested in his own hands for the first time.
The dark clouds in the sky gradually deepened, and inky thunderclouds squeezed out of nothingness. What moved between the clouds was not ordinary lightning, but thunderbolts attracted by the elixir.