Chapter 172: Chapter 170: Seeing the Light of Day at Last

Hai Tongtian felt a sharp pain deep in his mind, as if a needle had viciously stabbed him. It felt like his very brain was on fire, and the immense spiritual agony sent him spiraling into a complete collapse.

The Deep Blue Anomalous Flame, having lost its master’s command, hovered strangely in mid-air. It burned slowly, constantly changing shape. From his level of cultivation, Qin Li could sense the surrounding Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi being slowly ignited by the flame, and then... burned to nothing!

Moreover, the area in which it consumed Spiritual Qi was expanding outward—slowly, yet with unwavering certainty.

Qin Li, however, was completely drained. His body drifted down and he collapsed gracelessly to the ground. He watched Hai Tongtian writhing beside him, gasping for breath. His own face was filled with the unconcealable joy of a survivor. Panting, he gritted his teeth and spat, "Old bastard... How about that? I told you... you’d be... the one to die first!"

As he spoke, an immense wave of weakness washed over him. That single attack had not only depleted all the energy in his body, but it had also left his Spiritual Power severely overdrawn.

The second level of the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands, Only I am Venerable combat technique could transform Spiritual Power into a tangible attack, but it was meant for Martial Artists with exceptionally strong Spiritual Power. For someone like Qin Li, who was only at the peak of the Celestial Level and had not yet reached the Celestial Shattering Realm, using it was an incredible strain.

Hai Tongtian had never anticipated that a kid who hadn’t even reached the Celestial Shattering Realm could actually launch a spiritual attack. If he had, he would have erected a simple Spirit Barrier in his Sea of Consciousness, and this lopsided battle would have ended very differently.

Qin Li would have died without a doubt.

Qin Li had destroyed Hai Tongtian’s entire Sea of Consciousness. Although his Dantian, his Power, and his cultivation level remained, he had lost the very core of his consciousness, rendering him a vegetable. He had even lost the basic instinct to attack or defend himself.

Even if by some miracle he didn’t die, he would be doomed to live as a drooling, insane fool.

But Qin Li had no intention of leaving him even that chance. He panted for a moment, recovering a sliver of strength, then got to his feet. Grasping the Blood-Drinking Divine Sword, he walked over to Hai Tongtian.

The old man was no longer thrashing about. He lay flat on his back, his murky eyes utterly vacant as he stared idiotically at the azure sky.

"Old man, in your next life, try to be a good person."

With a swift motion, his sword fell, and the head rolled from its shoulders.

Qin Li gazed toward the Fairy Kiln, his eyes resolute, and started walking.

He still had four Red Jade Vermilion Fruits in his ring, but Qin Li had no intention of using them for now. The greatest benefit of the Red Jade Vermilion Fruit wasn’t how many years of Power it could add to his cultivation, but its ability to widen his meridians and fundamentally improve his physique.

The most crucial task now was to leave this place. There was still that Golden Giant Tiger, which could appear at any moment. Furthermore, this Mysterious Land was home to countless other ferocious Spirit Beasts, not just the tiger. With the powerful experts of the Paradise Celestial Palace standing guard, those Spirit Beasts might not have dared to show themselves.

But now that the Paradise Celestial Palace had been annihilated, who knew when some new creature would try to claim this territory for itself?

The benefits of having his meridians widened immeasurably were enormous. In the past, Qin Li wouldn’t have even recovered his ability to move in such a short time, let alone manage to use a bit of his Lightweight Skill as he could now.

After some effort, he made it back to the Fairy Kiln. One of the young women spotted him and let out a cheer of surprise and delight. Then... all the surviving girls rushed over, surrounding Qin Li. Laughing and crying, they vied to embrace him.

Swallowed by the crowd of women, Qin Li felt more awkward than pleased. The girls’ enthusiasm was a bit overwhelming; they treated him like a brother, holding nothing back.

And yet, Qin Li still wore the appearance of a coarse, fierce, bearded man. On any other day, these girls would have likely fled at the sight of him. Now, however, they greeted him more warmly than their own families.

"Could you... please let go of me for a moment? Um, how is little Li Qin?" Qin Li managed to say, struggling amidst the girls’ joyous tears.

At the mention of Li Qin, the joyous atmosphere instantly evaporated, vanishing completely.

A girl began to sob. "After you left, a few of our sisters who were caught in the shockwave were badly hurt. They didn’t make it... they passed away. And Sister Li Qin... she’s buried in the cave back there. We haven’t heard a sound from inside for so long, and we... we aren’t strong enough to clear the entrance. We think... we think she’s gone too!"

By the time she finished, all the girls were weeping uncontrollably. A shadow fell over Qin Li’s heart. They had been on the verge of escape, yet there were still casualties. That some hadn’t made it to the very end was a truly sad thing.

"This is all my fault. I should have told you to get back even farther!"

The girls immediately cut off Qin Li’s self-blaming words.

"Benefactor, how could we possibly blame you?" one of the girls exclaimed, voicing what they all felt. "I’m sure even the sisters who passed wouldn’t blame you. You did so much for us. If we had moved too far away, those two villains would have grown suspicious. We feel nothing but gratitude for you!"

It was true. Qin Li had warned the girls to find cover and get as far away as possible once the fighting started. But the battle had erupted too quickly for anyone to react. Furthermore, the girls weren’t foolish; they knew that retreating too far or acting abnormally would arouse the suspicions of those two vile old men.

In the end, it was simply a necessary sacrifice on the path to freedom.

Having recovered a fraction of his strength—perhaps twenty or thirty percent—Qin Li nodded silently. He walked toward the collapsed cave entrance and said, "Even if Li Qin is buried in there, we... are still taking her home!"

Qin Li’s words only made the girls’ sorrow deepen. He mustered the small amount of Divine Sense he had just managed to recover and sent it probing into the collapsed cave. Soon, an image of Li Qin formed in his mind.

To his shock and delight, Li Qin was still showing signs of life!

"She’s alive!" Qin Li shouted. His Blood-Drinking Divine Sword became a pioneer’s tool, and he began to furiously dig, sending rocks and soil flying out from behind him.

The girls behind him stood stunned for a moment before bursting into a heaven-shaking cheer. The wave of pure, heartfelt joy erupted from the mountainside platform and soared into the sky.

When Qin Li finally carried Li Qin’s body out of the cave, the girls’ emotions reached their zenith, transforming the clearing into an ocean of joy.

Thankfully, Li Qin had been a diligent cultivator since she was young and had a strong constitution. On top of that, she had spent the last month training hard in this place of abundant Spiritual Qi, more than doubling her resilience. As a result, she had only suffered some internal injuries and a broken arm when she was thrown against the cave wall. She had been unconscious for half a day, only waking up after Qin Li rescued her.

Upon learning that the Paradise Celestial Palace was truly gone for good, the girls cheered wildly through their tears. The emotions they had suppressed for so long were finally released.

Qin Li set Li Qin’s broken arm and used what little Innate Purple Qi he had left to treat her internal injuries. Only then, with a weary expression, did he sit down to meditate and recover.

「Three days later.」

Qin Li’s power had finally returned to normal.

Of the one hundred and six girls, four had died. Seven had been seriously injured but had pulled through, and a dozen more with minor injuries were not in any danger.

The bodies of the four deceased girls were cremated and their ashes placed in urns. As more than half of the girls came from prominent families, there would be people to handle the task of returning the ashes to their homes.

The carriages Bu Jingfeng had brought were still parked at the mountain gate before the Paradise Celestial Palace’s main hall, miraculously untouched. The few docile horses had wandered off to graze nearby.

It was a small miracle that they had survived the successive battles, even if they had been far from the fighting.

Qin Li hitched the horses to the carriages and helped the most seriously injured girls inside. The majority chose to walk behind.

An hour later, the carriages finally reached the main road, a sight they had longed to see. The group of survivors looked back at the valley leading to the Mysterious Land, overcome with emotion. Many were weeping openly. They had once believed they would never leave that place, and now, standing on the soil of the Cyan Dragon Kingdom, it felt as though they had been given a second life.

"Alright, you’re finally safe now. There’s a fairly large old town about thirty li from here. You can all stay there for now. Send messages to your families via Homing Falcon and have them come for you," Qin Li said gently. He knew that while most of the girls had practiced some fighting techniques, their aptitude was average and their strength was weak. If they ran into danger again, they would have little means of protecting themselves.

Qin Li also wanted to see Leng Yao and Bu Yunyan before he went to Profound Island. He had never imagined that his venture into the Mysterious Land would end up taking several months and involve so many unexpected turns.

"Benefactor, what about you?" Li Qin asked softly, her beautiful, watery eyes fixed on Qin Li.

"Heh, don’t worry," Qin Li said, smiling dotingly at Li Qin. "I’ll stay there with you all, until the very last person has been picked up by her family." And it was true. After everything that had happened, he had come to see these girls as his own sisters. He wouldn’t allow any more harm to come to them.