Her previous injuries from the Armored Dragon were minor. The main problem was her exhaustion after a long escape. Compounded by her encounter with Li He, a surge of rage had thrown her Profound Power into chaos, making it impossible to gather even a shred of it. If she wasn’t treated promptly, not only would she fail to recover, but her condition would worsen—she could even perish on the spot.

’What a hassle.’

Had it been anyone else, Ye Xuan wouldn’t have bothered. But Xia Qixi was a woman, and he couldn’t bear the thought of her being left here to be eaten by Demon Beasts. Besides, when she had faced danger earlier, she hadn’t abandoned him or tried to redirect the threat his way.

With that thought, Ye Xuan immediately sat down cross-legged and placed his hands on Xia Qixi’s upper chest.

"What... what are you doing...?"

Xia Qixi was both mortified and frightened. She could feel Ye Xuan’s hands resting on the skin of her upper chest. The sensation of being touched by a man instantly made her skin feel as if it were on fire, scalding hot all over.

At the same time, a strange sensation coursed through her body. It was an odd feeling, one that, to her surprise, made her feel a sense of keen anticipation. It was as if thousands of ants were crawling in her heart, and her body began to feel weak.

Ye Xuan’s frown deepened. "What are you doing? Focus! Concentrate and mobilize all the Profound Power in your body. Circulate it along the path I’m channeling into you."

Ye Xuan’s words snapped her back to reality. The thought of her earlier fantasies made her flush with embarrassment. However, as the top genius of the Celestial Gold Kingdom, she quickly composed herself. She did her best to ignore the sensation of Ye Xuan’s hands on her skin and began to circulate her Profound Power as he had instructed.

A faint wisp of Profound Power stirred within her, slowly beginning to circulate.

After about the time it takes for half an incense stick to burn, Xia Qixi felt the weakness in her body gradually disappearing.

"Alright."

Ye Xuan retracted his hands and stood up. "If you circulate your Profound Power now, you should be able to move."

Xia Qixi was astonished to find that she could indeed move her body.

Without a second thought, Xia Qixi quickly took out a fresh set of clothes, ducked behind a thicket of bushes, and began to change with a soft rustling sound.

Although Ye Xuan didn’t intentionally look, his senses were constantly aware of the slightest movement in his surroundings, and he inadvertently caught a glimpse of her feminine charm through the gaps in the bushes.

’That graceful figure, I have to admit, is truly a sight to behold.’

Once she had changed, Xia Qixi emerged from the bushes and approached Ye Xuan, her voice filled with gratitude. "Ye Xuan, thank you for what you did. If it weren’t for you, I’m afraid I would have..."

A wave of lingering fear washed over Xia Qixi as she considered what might have happened to her.

"It was nothing. I, Ye Xuan, despise those who bully women more than anyone," he said with a wave of his hand. A moment later, he asked with some confusion, "By the way, why haven’t you regrouped with President Zhu Tianlan and the others? They were all at the mountain peak where we first met."

"Ah? President Zhu and the others came over later?" Xia Qixi asked, surprised.

"What? Didn’t a huge energy fluctuation come from that mountain peak later? It attracted a lot of people. You didn’t go check it out?"

Now it was Ye Xuan’s turn to be confused. The valley where they had met was very close to the location of the Seven-Colored Lotus. There was no way Xia Qixi and her group hadn’t sensed that fiery aura.

Xia Qixi explained, "Didn’t you tell us not to follow you? So even though we sensed that fiery aura, we didn’t go over."

Ye Xuan never would have guessed that was the reason. He couldn’t help but rub his nose. ’Does that mean I’m the one who put them in this situation? If it weren’t for my words, they might have already regrouped with Zhu Tianlan.’

’But I told them not to follow, and they actually didn’t follow... This woman is a bit too rigid, isn’t she?’

This made Ye Xuan feel rather guilty.

"Ye Xuan, where are you going next? Can I... can I follow you?" Xia Qixi asked, biting her lip.

She was heavily injured now. She wouldn’t even be a match for a Tier Three Demon Beast. If she wanted to be safe, her only option was to follow Ye Xuan.

Ye Xuan frowned. He had too many secrets and was reluctant to let Xia Qixi tag along. But she was severely injured, and he couldn’t just abandon her.

After all, her current predicament was partly his fault.

Seeing Ye Xuan remain silent, Xia Qixi’s heart sank. Just as she was about to say something, Ye Xuan spoke. "How about this: you can follow me for now and focus on healing. Once your injuries have recovered, or when we run into the team from the Celestial Gold Kingdom, we’ll go our separate ways."

Xia Qixi was instantly overjoyed and nodded repeatedly.

After that, Ye Xuan led Xia Qixi along while secretly controlling the Armored Dragon and his other beasts to gather Spirit Medicines.

With the Armored Dragon and the others, Ye Xuan could acquire a substantial amount of Spirit Medicine without having to lift a finger himself.

However, what puzzled Ye Xuan was that the number of Demon Beasts in this mountain forest seemed to have suddenly increased.

Moreover, these Profound Beasts and Demon Beasts all seemed to be searching for something with a clear purpose.

They would attack any human they encountered. Beyond that, they would even attack other Profound Beasts they came across.

’Could there be infighting among the Profound Beasts?’

Ye Xuan knew it wasn’t impossible. Profound Beasts possessed intelligence, so just like humans, they had their own factions and territories. The three great Profound Beasts he had seen back at the Seven-Colored Lotus, for example, each commanded their own subordinates and would regularly fight amongst themselves.

Ye Xuan had no desire to get involved in the affairs of Profound Beasts.

Controlling the Armored Dragon and his other four great Demon Beasts, Ye Xuan tried his best to travel through areas with fewer Profound Beasts and Demon Beasts.

Along the way, Ye Xuan changed their route several times.

Xia Qixi noticed Ye Xuan frequently altering their path. Although she was curious, she said nothing, merely following him silently while recovering her strength.

Suddenly, Ye Xuan’s expression changed drastically.

"Wait here. Don’t move."

Before the words had even faded, without another word to Xia Qixi, Ye Xuan shot away.

Xia Qixi watched his disappearing back with a stunned expression, completely bewildered as to what was happening.

Ye Xuan flew at top speed through the mountain forest, his face a mask of anxiety. He had just discovered that his Armored Dragon was being besieged.

This was his first Tier Five Demon Beast. Ye Xuan planned to take it out of the Floating Light Secret Realm with him, so he certainly couldn’t let it die here.

Although he knew his Armored Dragon was under attack, the wisp of power from his Devouring Martial Soul only allowed him to control and command it remotely. As a result, Ye Xuan knew nothing about the number or identity of the attackers. All he knew was that there was more than one, and they were all extremely powerful.

Otherwise, the message relayed by the Armored Dragon wouldn’t have contained such a desperate sense of mortal danger.

Flying swiftly, it only took him the time it takes for half an incense stick to burn to arrive near the Armored Dragon’s location.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

On the battlefield not far away, the Armored Dragon was locked in a fierce battle with three other Demon Beasts.

One was a golden leopard with white markings. Its aura was terrifying, and its speed was incredible. As it flickered about, it looked like a dazzling, mottled streak of yellow lightning, leaving one dizzy.

It was so fast that the Armored Dragon could only continuously dodge its attacks.

Another was a massive, earth-yellow bear. Its size was comparable to the Armored Dragon’s, and its hide was like rock. The ground seemed to tremble with its every step. With each swing of its giant claws, it battered the Armored Dragon’s Scale Armor, leaving it a bloody mess. Its combat power was astounding.

The last was a jet-black falcon. It continuously dove from high above, launching periodic attacks that left deep gashes on the Armored Dragon.

These three Demon Beasts all radiated terrifying auras; all were at Tier Five. Each one was no weaker than the Armored Dragon. With the three of them combined, Ye Xuan’s Armored Dragon could only parry repeatedly.

Fortunately, the Armored Dragon had a tough hide and astonishing Defense Power, which had so far saved it from being killed. Even so, it was covered in blood and clearly wouldn’t be able to hold on for much longer.

Besides these three Tier Five Demon Beasts, there was also a Tier Five Profound Beast nearby. It was a colossal Rock Python, its body looking as if it were constructed from stone. It was coiled not far away, coldly watching the Armored Dragon being assaulted by the three beasts.

"Armored Dragon, you dare betray the great Lord Jin Lin! Who is your master? Take us to him at once! Otherwise, you should know how painful it is to endure Lord Jin Lin’s wrath."

The Rock Python spoke coldly.

ROAR! ROAR!

The Armored Dragon let out a series of furious roars, defiant even in the face of death.

"Hmph. I didn’t think you had some backbone. But it doesn’t matter if you won’t talk. Once we capture you and take you back, Lord Jin Lin will punish you himself, you traitor."

The Rock Python sneered at the Armored Dragon.

’Lord Jin Lin?’

Ye Xuan’s mind raced. ’So there’s a "Lord" above these Profound and Demon Beasts. Who could it be?’

The first thing that came to Ye Xuan’s mind was the Soul Thought that had once controlled the Armored Dragon. The power of that Soul Thought had far surpassed that of a Tier Five Profound Beast. ’Could it be the Armored Dragon’s former master?’

’In that case, is the reason there are so many Profound and Demon Beasts in this forest because I stole the Armored Dragon from this so-called Lord Jin Lin?’

Ye Xuan’s expression instantly grew solemn.

Unlike the human world, where noble status also held weight, the world of Profound and Demon Beasts revered strength above all else. A "Lord Jin Lin" who could control so many Profound and Demon Beasts and command them to act must possess terrifyingly astonishing power. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

But for now, Ye Xuan couldn’t worry about that. He first had to rescue the Armored Dragon from these beasts.

Charging out rashly would be the stupidest approach.

An idea sparked in Ye Xuan’s mind, and he quickly devised a clever plan.

SWOOSH!

The Giant Rock Wolf and the Blade Mantis Beast, which Ye Xuan had brought under his control long ago, had already been moved into the vicinity. Under Ye Xuan’s command, the Giant Rock Wolf immediately launched a rock attack at the Rock Python.