Chapter 166: Chapter 164: Healing and Enhancement

Elder Wen’s wrinkled old face was a mask of utter devastation. His cloudy old eyes were filled with a chaotic mix of surprise, shock, anger... and fear. He couldn’t control his emotions at all. If one looked closely, his hands, as withered as an eagle’s talons, were trembling slightly.

"We have to find him! Otherwise, we’re finished no matter where we go! We have to find him, kill him! We must kill him!" Elder Wen ordered the disciples. "Get into groups of two and start searching for me right now!"

The Paradise Celestial Palace disciples, both men and women, were filled with terror. ’Someone who could force the Sect Leader to self-detonate... just how powerful must he be?’ Sending them to search for him was clearly no different from sending them to their deaths.

And so, every one of them stared in terror at Elder Wen and the now-frenzied Elder Hai Tongtian. No one moved a muscle.

"What? You... you won’t obey my orders anymore?" Elder Wen’s aura as a Celestial Embracing Realm master erupted in full. All of his restraint, all of his composure, had been utterly shattered by Sect Leader Le Wuya’s self-detonation.

"Those who don’t go will die!" As Elder Wen spoke, he reached out a hand and pulled a Celestial Level disciple from the Celestial Palace, who was less than ten meters away, toward him. With a sharp CRACK, he twisted the disciple’s neck and said in a chilling tone, "Did you not hear me?"

WHOOSH!

The crowd of Paradise Celestial Palace disciples scattered in terror. ’Fine, we’ll search! It’s better than being killed by two crazed Elders right here. Even if we can’t find him, we can just loiter around nearby or even hide. Anything is better than facing those two lunatics again so soon.’

...

Compared to the gruesome scene here, the Fairy Kiln, where all the women captured to be used as Tripod Furnaces were imprisoned, seemed much more peaceful.

Since Qin Li’s departure, the place had become like a ghost town. No one else had come here at all. And so, after a period of living in terror, the hundred-plus young women gradually calmed down.

The strong-willed young woman had become the leader of their group.

There was a large stockpile of food here, likely enough to last them until they died of old age. However, a sense of homesickness constantly weighed on their hearts. None of them were very old, and most came from well-off families. They had never experienced anything like this in their entire lives. If it weren’t for the strong-willed girl acting as their backbone, some might have already been unable to resist taking their own lives.

"We’ll wait right here. Our benefactor said he would definitely come back to save us!"

This strong-willed young woman’s name was Li Qin. Her family was headed by a wealthy merchant, and she came from an excellent background. She had been held captive here for nearly half a year. To go from a sheltered, naive young lady to the spiritual leader of all these women—her transformation was the most remarkable among the group.

"Qin," a girl with bright eyes and pearly teeth asked, voicing what was on everyone’s mind, "you said our benefactor is all alone. The demons of the Paradise Celestial Palace are all so terrifyingly strong. Can our benefactor really be a match for them?"

Li Qin bit her lower lip and nodded forcefully. The thought of that coarse-featured, bearded man brought an inexplicable surge of powerful confidence, and she declared with a resolute expression, "He can!"

As a well-bred young lady, the men Li Qin used to find attractive were the dashing, scholarly types. Although this was a world where the strong were revered, Martial Artists... they seemed to exist at a considerable distance from the lives of ordinary people.

Within the Cyan Dragon Kingdom, there were still many scholars who studied hard to pass examinations and attain official rank. Becoming a noble wasn’t a path exclusive to Profound Level Martial Artists.

But now, the image of a coarse, bearded man had inexplicably taken root in her heart, and she couldn’t get it out of her mind.

"Ah, Qin, look! Someone’s coming... It’s our benefactor! It’s our benefactor!" a girl exclaimed with delight, pointing at a distant figure on the winding mountain path below.

Li Qin’s heart leaped. ’He’s finally here!’ she thought, a blush uncontrollably rising to her cheeks as she hurriedly asked, "Where?"

"There, over there... Oh no, it looks like our benefactor is injured!"

"..."

...

Relying on his memory of the location, Qin Li had a difficult time finding his way back. He had suffered immensely along the way. He would gather a sliver of energy, use his Lightweight Skill to sprint for a while, but his severe internal injuries were given no chance to heal.

By the time he saw the group of excited young women, Qin Li’s consciousness was already starting to fade. ’If the self-detonation of a Celestial Integration Realm Martial Artist could be so easily dodged without even a scratch, he wouldn’t be human—he’d be a god.’

When Qin Li opened his eyes again, he saw a face full of concern. It was a girl he didn’t recognize at all, but right now, she was as happy as a child.

She cheered, "Our benefactor is awake! Our benefactor has woken up!"

With a great RUSH, dozens of people crowded into the cave, their faces all alight with concern and excitement. The strong-willed girl, the only one Qin Li really remembered, slowly walked over. She glanced at Qin Li, her face blushing, and then asked softly, "Benefactor, are your injuries... any better?"

Qin Li struggled to sit up, and two young women immediately came to support him from behind.

’Warm, soft, and fragrant.’ Mm, that was the sensation Qin Li was feeling right now. Except it wasn’t a case of having a warm, soft, fragrant woman in his embrace, but of him leaning against them.

Qin Li slowly nodded and said, "I need to enter seclusion to recuperate for a few days. During this time, if anyone comes here, you are to say..."

"Don’t worry, we will never reveal that our benefactor is here!" Li Qin said with a determined look, and all the others nodded with equal resolve.

"Benefactor, you are our only hope of leaving this den of demons. We will definitely protect you!" a girl said, her eyes welling with tears.

Qin Li shook his head slightly. "No. If people come, as long as they are young, lead them to me. Believe me, I will kill them! If it’s... the Elders from the Paradise Celestial Palace who come, hide my presence if you can. If you really can’t hide it, don’t be afraid. Just remember to protect yourselves!"

Qin Li’s words made expressions of gratitude appear on all the girls’ faces. ’Our benefactor really is a good person! He looks a bit fierce, but he’s truly kind! If I’m going to marry someone, it has to be someone like our benefactor!’

If Qin Li knew what these young women were thinking right now, one wonders if he would feel a sense of guilt for warping their aesthetic standards.

Seeing Qin Li’s exhausted expression, Li Qin knew that what he needed most was rest. She shooed the other girls away, then said softly, "Benefactor, just focus on healing here. Leave the rest to me!"

At that moment, Li Qin felt an urge to cry. She had already decided that if anyone found this place, she would rather sacrifice herself than... betray their benefactor!

Utterly exhausted, Qin Li didn’t notice the girl’s unusual resolve. He just said softly, "Then I’ll be in your care."

The door was gently closed.

Once again, Qin Li plucked two red Vermilion Fruits from his ring. Steeling himself, he ate them both. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

BOOM!

An immense power exploded within Qin Li’s body. Just like last time in the stone cave behind the waterfall, an immense pain instantly assaulted him, crazily battering his meridians and burning his Dantian. The agony was so great that Qin Li’s very soul nearly broke free from his body.

Qin Li even had the sensation of an out-of-body experience. When people are in unbearable pain, they often cry out, "This pain is killing me!" And right now, Qin Li felt like he really was being killed by the pain.

He felt his body suddenly become much lighter, and the pain instantly vanished. Looking down, Qin Li saw a fierce-looking, bearded man sitting on the bed and was startled. ’Isn’t that me?’

With that shock, Qin Li felt his soul being violently dragged back, and then the unbearable pain assaulted him once more!

His grievously injured internal organs were being repaired at an incredibly fast rate by the miraculous power generated by the two Vermilion Fruits. But compared to this, the truly unbearable agony was the excruciating pain of his meridians being widened even further.

And yet, Qin Li dared not slack off in the slightest!

He had to use the Innate Purple Qi Technique to guide the Innate Purple Qi and rapidly occupy the newly widened meridians! Otherwise, all his efforts would be for naught!

One didn’t need to think hard to know how precious these red, gem-like Vermilion Fruits were. There were only eight in total, and who knew how many lifetimes it would be before the next harvest. Therefore, he absolutely could not let them go to waste.

Qin Li swore to himself, ’As long as this pain doesn’t fucking kill me, I can endure it!’

This pain was bone-deep, an agony that would be seared into his memory!

An unknown amount of time passed. Qin Li could feel that the injuries inside his body were already recovering. Looking inward, he was rather speechless to discover that his meridians had once again more than doubled in width!

He was frantically absorbing the surrounding Spiritual Qi, yet it almost felt like the supply couldn’t keep up with the demand! This was an unprecedented first!

An idea struck Qin Li, and an Upper Grade Spirit Stone appeared in his hand. As soon as he circulated the Innate Purple Qi Technique, the vast energy within the Spirit Stone began pouring into his meridians.

Qin Li’s meridians were like a long-dried riverbed. As this immense energy surged in, they were instantly filled with vibrant life!

「Three days had now passed.」

Six days had passed since Le Wuya was gravely injured.

The Fairy Kiln was like a forgotten place. For six whole days, not a single person had come.

It was only today that some disciples remembered that such a place even existed within the Paradise Celestial Palace. They couldn’t be blamed. Although they all knew of the Fairy Kiln’s existence, for ordinary disciples, it wasn’t officially a forbidden area, but it might as well have been.

After all, the young women here were Tripod Furnaces prepared for the Elders and the Sect Leader; they had nothing to do with common disciples!

If anyone dared to harbor covetous thoughts about this place, they wouldn’t be far from death. So normally, the most they would do was linger at a distance, sneaking a few glances to satisfy their craving.

But now, everyone understood that the two surviving Elders were far too preoccupied to care about this place anymore.

And so, more than thirty male disciples of the Paradise Celestial Palace, harboring ill intentions, gathered together and headed this way under the banner of "searching for the enemy."

’The young women brought here are all top-quality Tripod Furnaces! Normally, getting even one of them would be a stroke of incredible luck, but now...’