"Cough, cough... I’m... fine! Quick... go!" Shen Haoran said weakly.

Hearing Shen Haoran’s weak voice, Elder Yan quickly steadied himself and fled toward the central region of the Profound Spirit Mountain Range with all his might. There was an unwritten rule in the Profound Spirit Mountain Range: Overlord-Level Spirit Beasts were forbidden from leaving the inner sanctum. Violators would be punished by the mountain’s guardian. The lightest penalty was a drop in power; the most severe was instant death.

The human-bodied, snake-tailed Spirit Beast was shocked that its all-out strike had failed to kill the human who had deceived it. Just as it was about to give chase, it discovered that it had completely lost track of the two humans within the Profound Spirit Mountain Range’s inner region.

The Spirit Beast realized they must have escaped to the central region and let out a furious roar. "ROAR! Damned humans! Don’t let me see you again, or I’ll tear you to shreds!" Its enraged cry echoed throughout the inner region of the Profound Spirit Mountain Range, scaring countless Low-Tier Spirit Beasts into hugging the ground, trembling in fear.

After reaching the central region of the Profound Spirit Mountain Range, Elder Yan quickly found a safe cave and laid Shen Haoran down.

"Shen Haoran, wake up! Please, wake up!" Ji Lingxuan cried, her voice choked with tears as she looked at the unconscious young man.

When the human-bodied, snake-tailed Spirit Beast was about to violate her, Ji Lingxuan had thought she was surely going to die. But when she opened her eyes, she saw the back of a figure who wasn’t particularly tall. Yet, that sight filled her with a sense of peace she had never known.

When the beam of deadly light rushed toward her, she had again thought she was dead for sure. But once again, that figure shielded her. In that moment, as she met Shen Haoran’s eyes, gentle as still water, Ji Lingxuan felt her heart melt.

Now, seeing Shen Haoran lying on the ground, hovering between life and death, Ji Lingxuan felt as if her own heart was breaking. An unfamiliar emotion coiled around it, refusing to dissipate.

"Move aside!" Elder Yan shoved Ji Lingxuan away and sent his Spiritual Thought probing into Shen Haoran’s body.

As his Spiritual Thought delved deeper, Elder Yan’s brow furrowed ever more tightly. Right now, Shen Haoran’s insides were an absolute wreck; his meridians and bones were all fractured, and his internal organs were shattered. Within his Dantian, the three original Spirit Pills had been completely destroyed, leaving only a dim, golden Sealing Spirit Pearl and the Soul-devouring Sword. Shen Haoran’s breathing grew fainter by the second as his life force slowly drained away.

’Dammit!’ Elder Yan cursed inwardly. Shen Haoran already had one foot in the Ghost Gate, and the other was about to follow. In a situation like this, even Elder Yan had no idea what to do...

"How is he?" Ji Lingxuan asked anxiously. She couldn’t spare a moment to be surprised by the existence of the Energy Body who had brought them to safety; all she cared about was Shen Haoran’s condition.

"Alas..." Elder Yan shook his head, his expression filled with regret. ’If I had known this would happen,’ he thought, ’I would have stopped Shen Haoran, even if I had to sever our master-disciple bond!’

Seeing Elder Yan shake his head, Ji Lingxuan’s mind went blank. She then stared at him and shouted frantically, "You can save him, right? You have a way, don’t you? Tell me, what do I need to do? I’ll do anything! I’m begging you, please save him!"

"Alas..." Facing the distraught Ji Lingxuan, Elder Yan heaved a long sigh. Just as he was about to speak, a golden light flashed from Shen Haoran’s body, and a small, spectral beast materialized before them.

It was Changmao, who had previously returned to the Sword Spirit Space to recuperate. However, he was in a terrible state. Due to his Blood Covenant with Shen Haoran, Changmao’s body was now so faint it looked like it might dissipate at any moment. On his forehead, a strange, profound golden rune flickered erratically, on the verge of vanishing completely.

After appearing, Changmao looked at Elder Yan and said weakly, "Essence Blood... Essence Blood... Dantian..." He then pointed to Ji Lingxuan, and then to Shen Haoran’s dantian.

Hearing Changmao’s words, Elder Yan understood immediately. He turned to Ji Lingxuan and said with utmost gravity, "Right now, you are the only one who can save him!"

"What do I need to do?" Hearing that there was still hope for Shen Haoran, Ji Lingxuan hastily wiped the tears from her face and asked.

"Your Essence Blood! In his current state, I don’t know how much will be needed, but it certainly won’t be a small amount. This will damage your foundation, and could even threaten your life! I hope you’ll..."

"You don’t need to say another word!" Ji Lingxuan cut Elder Yan off before he could finish. She pulled out a dagger and, without a moment’s hesitation, slit her wrist. A single drop of blood, black as pitch, flew out, emanating a powerful surge of life force.

"Even if it costs me my life, I will save him!" Ji Lingxuan declared, her voice filled with resolve.

Watching the drop of black blood float before him, Elder Yan said no more. He simply gave Ji Lingxuan a grateful look before slowly guiding the drop of black Essence Blood into Shen Haoran’s dantian.

The moment the black Essence Blood entered his dantian, it was absorbed by the golden Sealing Spirit Pearl. After absorbing the blood, the once-dim pearl flared with a golden light, but it quickly faded again.

"It’s not enough! More!" Elder Yan was taken aback. ’The Sealing Spirit Pearl I’ve been residing in is actually absorbing Ji Lingxuan’s Essence Blood?’ But with time being of the essence, he didn’t dare question it and could only call out to her again.

The moment his voice fell, another drop of black blood flew from Ji Lingxuan’s wrist, and Elder Yan immediately guided it into Shen Haoran’s dantian.

"More!"

"More!"

...

As the black Essence Blood continued to merge with the Sealing Spirit Pearl, the once-dim orb began to glow brighter and brighter. By the time the forty-fifth drop was absorbed, the Sealing Spirit Pearl was as brilliant as a miniature sun, and it finally stopped absorbing Ji Lingxuan’s Essence Blood.

Having lost forty-five drops of her Essence Blood, Ji Lingxuan collapsed, falling completely unconscious. Her once-lustrous black hair was now mostly white, and her power had plummeted from a Tier Three Spirit General to a Tier One Spirit Pupil. She was in a truly tragic state.

"Alas..." Elder Yan glanced at Ji Lingxuan and shook his head helplessly before turning his attention back to Shen Haoran.

The golden light bursting from the Sealing Spirit Pearl in Shen Haoran’s dantian began to spread outwards, slowly enveloping his entire body. The light did not stop there; it continued to expand, wrapping around Changmao as well. Finally, it stopped spreading only after it had enclosed Ji Lingxuan.

"This..." Staring at the golden light that now filled half the cave, Elder Yan was speechless with astonishment.

Moreover, the golden light completely blocked Elder Yan’s senses. He had no idea what was happening inside, though he could feel an immense life force radiating from within. With no other choice, Elder Yan stepped outside to stand guard at the cave’s entrance, preventing any Spirit Beasts or human Martial Artists from disturbing them.

He never expected, however, that his vigil would last for an entire month.

「A month later.」

Elder Yan entered the cave as he usually did to check on the giant golden egg.

As he stepped inside, he was met with an incredible sight:

Several cracks had appeared on the surface of the golden egg. They spread with incredible speed, soon webbing across the entire shell.

POP! With a soft pop, the golden egg shattered before Elder Yan’s eyes. The fragments of the golden shell showered down like scattered petals, landing on Shen Haoran, Changmao, and Ji Lingxuan before quickly merging into their bodies.

As the shell fragments merged into her, Ji Lingxuan’s pale complexion slowly regained its rosy hue. Her white hair returned to its original lustrous black, and her injuries completely healed. However, her power remained at the level of a Tier One Spirit Pupil. It seemed the loss of those forty-five drops of Essence Blood had still caused irreparable damage.

With her body restored, Ji Lingxuan quickly regained consciousness. After a slight flutter of her eyelashes, she opened her eyes.

Now conscious, Ji Lingxuan looked around in a daze. When she saw that Shen Haoran was still unconscious, her delicate brows furrowed. Just as she was about to ask Elder Yan what was happening, he held a finger to his lips, signaling for her to remain silent.

At that moment, Elder Yan could sense that a world-altering transformation was taking place within Shen Haoran’s body...