Colorful Spirit Crystals floated around Shen Haoran, their faint light twinkling like stars in the night sky.

Shui Ruolan gave Shen Haoran a deep look before slowly closing her eyes. She began to form a Seal Technique with her hands. Wisps of visible energy surged from the Spirit Crystals and drifted toward Shen Haoran’s body. Slowly, they formed a five-colored cocoon of light, enveloping him completely.

Stimulated by the Original Spiritual Power of different attributes, the once-extinguished Fire Spirit Black Obsidian inside Shen Haoran’s body began to burn again. The flame grew stronger and stronger, slowly fusing with the surrounding Original Spiritual Power.

At this moment, the Five Elements Attributes within Shen Haoran’s body had miraculously combined. A strange power coursed through him, shrouding his meridians, bones, and internal organs in a layer of gray mist.

Anyone who witnessed this would have cried out in shock, for this gray mist was the Power of Chaos! Stimulated by the Five Elements Attributes, Shen Haoran’s Chaos Divine Body had actually been activated! The gray Power of Chaos clung to the inside of his body and began to repair his shattered form. His meridians were mending at a speed visible to the naked eye, and the once-extinguished flame of his life began to burn anew!

HACK...

Suddenly, Shen Haoran spat out a mouthful of foul blood, and his ice-cold body began to grow warm.

After a long moment, Shen Haoran’s tightly shut eyes slowly fluttered open. He was momentarily stunned to see the colorful Spirit Crystals floating before him. But when he saw Shui Ruolan and the others with their eyes closed in concentration, he understood what had happened, and a warmth spread through his heart.

Forcing himself to endure the pain wracking his body, Shen Haoran waved a hand. The Spirit Crystals scattered, returning to the bodies of the Yao Sect members.

A moment later, Shui Ruolan and the others’ eyes shot open. Seeing the weak but conscious Shen Haoran, their faces were filled with joyous surprise.

"Boss!" Zi Mo jumped up in excitement. If Shen Haoran weren’t covered in wounds, Zi Mo would have given him a massive bear hug.

Shui Ruolan, pale-faced, sat on the ground looking at Shen Haoran and let out a huge sigh of relief. Her eyes were bloodshot, and a single, crystalline tear rolled down her cheek. ’That stubborn fool... I knew he wouldn’t die so easily!’

Chen Yu and the crowd in the stands stared at Shen Haoran, whose eyes were now half-open, their faces masks of utter disbelief. ’The members of the Yao Sect... they actually did it. Shen Haoran came back from the dead. It’s a miracle!’

In that moment, everyone began to regard the Yao Sect with a sense of awe. This camaraderie—the willingness to sacrifice one’s own cultivation to save a companion—was a rare sight in this world where martial strength was paramount. In that instant, they all felt a desire to join the Yao Sect, to experience for themselves this bond of never abandoning, never giving up on one’s brothers.

Shen Haoran looked at the members of the Yao Sect, their faces pale from exhaustion. He was moved beyond words. With a hoarse voice, he said softly, "Thank you!"

"Haha, Boss, you don’t have to be so formal with us! Just refine a few more Elixirs for us to eat in the future, and we’ll call it even!" Zi Mo said, patting his bulging stomach. He had already completely forgotten the oath he had sworn just moments ago.

At Zi Mo’s words, all the members of the Yao Sect burst into laughter, and the sorrowful atmosphere from before vanished completely...

"Where’s Ouyang Chen?" Shen Haoran asked in a low voice as Zi Mo helped him up.

Ouyang Chen’s final blow had sent Shen Haoran with one foot through the Ghost Gate. The after-effects of the Heaven-Dominating Tribulation were simply too terrifying, leaving him too weak to dodge. The Spirit Seed inside him had been of no use. He was struck by that dark energy and lost consciousness before he could even unleash the second stage of the Heaven-Dominating Tribulation.

Hearing Shen Haoran mention Ouyang Chen, Zi Mo said indignantly, "That bastard self-destructed. He got off way too easy!"

"Self-destructed!?" Shen Haoran frowned. ’Ouyang Chen isn’t the type to kill himself. There must be a trick to this!’

"Ouyang Chen escaped!" As expected, just as the thought crossed Shen Haoran’s mind, Elder Yan’s voice rang out in his head.

Ouyang Chen’s sudden attack had severely wounded Shen Haoran, putting him in a death-like state so quickly that even Elder Yan couldn’t intervene in time. Thus, while Shen Haoran was unconscious, Elder Yan had kept his full attention on Ouyang Chen. When Ouyang Chen self-destructed, while everyone was reeling from the shock, no one noticed a wisp of black energy using the Spiritual Power storm as cover to flee the Central Martial Arts Arena. Ouyang Chen’s movements, however, did not escape Elder Yan’s perception.

’I knew it!’ Shen Haoran thought.

"Hmph. It’s better that he’s not dead. The next time we meet, I’ll return today’s attack in full!" Shen Haoran snorted. The faint hint of killing intent in his voice made Zi Mo glance at him in surprise.

With such a major incident, the Sect competition could not continue. After a serious deliberation, Chen Yu and the other Elders postponed the final match for ten days. For now, they had to deal with this matter properly.

The members of the Yao Sect helped Shen Haoran back to Red Flame Peak. Not wanting to disturb his recovery, they settled him in and then departed.

After Shui Ruolan and the others had gone, Elder Yan’s illusory figure floated out. He looked at the gravely injured Shen Haoran, his expression tinged with guilt. At the time of the attack, his attention had been completely focused on the familiar dark energy emanating from Ouyang Chen. He hadn’t reacted in time and had failed to protect Shen Haoran, nearly costing him his life.

Seeing Elder Yan’s expression, Shen Haoran gave a faint smile. "Elder Yan, it’s not your fault. I can’t rely on you every time. I was too careless. Let’s just call it a lesson learned."

Hearing this, Elder Yan didn’t dwell on his feelings. He took several types of Spirit Medicine from his Storage Ring, performed a Refinement to turn them into a medicinal liquid, and poured it into a large water vat. He then had Shen Haoran sit cross-legged inside it to begin repairing his shattered body.

HISS...

As the medicinal liquid entered his body, a piercing pain made Shen Haoran gasp. The combined trauma from the after-effects of the Heaven-Dominating Tribulation and Ouyang Chen’s terrifying attack had left the meridians in his body on the verge of rupturing.

However, when he saw the gray mist clinging to his meridians, bones, and internal organs, he couldn’t help but feel a surge of astonishment.

’Is this the Power of Chaos from the Chaos Divine Body? Such incredible restorative power!’ If not for this Power of Chaos, he would have already died.

After his Heart Spirit swept over his meridians and bones, Shen Haoran focused his attention on his Dantian. The Spirit Crystal that once shone with a black light was now covered in cracks, looking as if it might shatter at any moment. ’The injuries I sustained this time were truly severe.’

At this thought, Shen Haoran couldn’t help but give a bitter smile. ’Looks like I won’t be able to do anything for the next few days. I’ll just have to focus on recovering here in the Alchemy Room.’

Sigh...

With a soft sigh, Shen Haoran closed his eyes. He allowed the potent Medicinal Power to surge through his meridians, beginning the arduous process of repairing his grievous injuries...