mesbooks Chapter 1836 What Venerable One?
Chapter 1836 What Venerable One?
Mingchuan, supported by Ye Yan, watched as Qingmianhu brought Zhao Hu and the others to his side.
Zhao Hu was severely injured, his spiritual energy almost completely drained, his meridians damaged in many places, and still corroded by residual malevolent energy. However, upon seeing Ming Chuan, a glimmer of light appeared in his dim eyes, and he moved his lips with difficulty:
"Ming-ge... I'm sorry... I'm useless..."
"Don't speak, just being alive is good enough." Mingchuan felt a great weight lifted from his heart, but then a wave of sorrow washed over him.
He looked at the others; Han Tieshan was unconscious, and the other three major sect experts were also on the verge of death.
"Leave here first!" Master Lingxu shouted, and together with the Crimson Flame Fox, they covered the rear, resisting the increasing number of puppets and the ascetics who had recovered.
Mingchuan mustered his strength and once again mobilized the remaining spatial power: "Over here! I just sensed a crack in the rock wall over there; I can take shelter there temporarily!"
He pointed to an inconspicuous crevice in the rock wall on the other side of the cave.
The crowd rushed inside.
The rift was narrow but quite deep, temporarily isolating it from external attacks.
The Blue-Faced Fox immediately began to do everything in its power to treat the injured.
Outside, Master Lingxu and the Crimson Flame Fox held out for a while longer, but seeing that everyone had safely entered the rift, they stopped fighting.
"Old Huo, retreat!" Master Lingxu unleashed a vast burst of moonlight, temporarily forcing back the enemy, and together with the Crimson Flame Fox, they flashed into the rift.
Mingchuan immediately set up several layers of spatial folds and concealment restrictions at the entrance of the rift. Although simple, they were difficult to detect for a while due to the special environment and chaotic energy field of this place.
After doing all this, he finally couldn't hold on any longer, his vision went black, and he collapsed, only to be caught by Ye Yan in time.
"Xiao Chuan!"
"Mingchuan!"
Everyone exclaimed.
"I...I'm fine, just exhausted."
Mingchuan weakly waved his hand, looked at Zhao Hu and the others who had been rescued, and then looked towards the direction from which the roaring and howling still came from outside the rift, his eyes deep.
The constant buzzing reminded him that the danger was not over yet.
He took a deep breath and tried his best to adjust his state.
"Don't worry about me, everyone should get themselves together first."
Seeing this, everyone had no choice but to do as he said and take care of their own situation first.
The Green-Faced Fox's hands continued to emit a warm, azure light as it carefully combed through the remaining malevolent energy within Zhao Hu, Han Tieshan, and the others, repairing their damaged meridians and nourishing their depleted dantian.
Fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, clearly indicating that treating multiple people at the same time had taken a toll, but her expression remained focused and resolute.
Ye Yan stood guard near the entrance of the rift, vigilantly sensing the movements outside, while looking worriedly at Ming Chuan, whose face was pale and who was closing his eyes to meditate.
Mingchuan took several precious pills to quickly restore his spiritual power and soul, and then focused all his energy on circulating his cultivation technique.
The silver talismans within his body were dim, as if covered in dust, and were slowly absorbing the thin and chaotic spiritual energy around him, repairing the nearly dried-up source of space bit by bit.
After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, a trace of color finally returned to his pale face, his long eyelashes trembled, and he slowly opened his eyes.
"Xiao Chuan, how are you feeling?" Ye Yan asked immediately with concern.
"Much better, I've recovered about 20-30%." Mingchuan's voice was still a little hoarse, but his eyes had regained their clarity.
He immediately looked at Zhao Hu and the others who were receiving treatment.
At this moment, under the treatment of the Green-Faced Fox, Zhao Hu's breathing had become much more stable. Although he was still weak, he was able to sit up halfway.
Han Tieshan slowly woke up, but his eyes were still somewhat unfocused.
The other three sect experts also gradually regained consciousness, but their injuries were serious and they were temporarily unable to move.
Seeing Mingchuan looking at him, Zhao Hu struggled to stand up, but was stopped by a look from Mingchuan.
"Tiger, don't move around." Mingchuan walked to his side, carefully examined his complexion, and patted his shoulder.
"It's good that you're alive. Tell me, what exactly happened? How did you end up in the hands of those ascetics?"
Zhao Hu took a deep breath, his eyes filled with pain and struggle.
“Ming-ge…we infiltrated the wasteland according to plan, being very careful along the way. Elder Han is very experienced and avoided several obvious danger zones. About three days ago, we approached the edge of the underground cave area mentioned in the intelligence.”
“Something’s definitely not right there. Not only are there faint residual fluctuations, similar to those of the divine sense clones we saw before, but we also found traces of artificial excavation and array formation. They’re very recent. We’re being more cautious and will observe the outer perimeter first.”
"But just as we were lying in wait and observing, we were suddenly attacked. Not from the outside, but... from underground! Several ascetics in gray robes, leading a large number of those cold puppets, emerged directly from the rock strata beneath our feet! They seemed to have spotted us all along and were lying in ambush there!"
Zhao Hu's voice was tinged with lingering fear: "Their techniques were very strange, flashing with golden light, yet carrying a malevolent aura that drove people mad. Our spells were largely ineffective. Elder Han and the other seniors fought desperately, and we did our best as well..."
"But the enemy has too many people and is also very strong, especially the three leaders, who are probably at the Nascent Soul stage... We are outnumbered."
He gasped for breath, a flicker of fear in his eyes: "We were quickly subdued. They bound us with those dark golden chains, sealing our cultivation. Then... they brought us to this hellish place."
"They didn't kill us, but tied us to those stone pillars. At first, we didn't know what they were going to do, until the formation was activated..."
Zhao Hu's body trembled slightly. "That feeling... it's like countless cold needles piercing your soul and meridians, slowly draining away your strength, your vitality, even... some thoughts in your mind! You can feel yourself getting weaker and withering away, but you can't even let out a scream!"
"They...they call us excellent resources, saying that we have a solid foundation, good fortune, and are top-quality sacrifices to stabilize the Holy Gate," the mid-stage Core Formation elder from the Qingfeng Feather Gate added weakly.
His face was ashen, and his eyes still held a trace of fear. "I heard them talking in hushed tones, saying that the quality of the sacrificial offerings collected this time was very high, enough to stabilize the nascent Holy Gate for three days and buy time for the Venerable One's arrival."
"A Venerable One?" Mingchuan's eyes narrowed. "What Venerable One?"
"I don't know." Han Tieshan had caught his breath and spoke in a hoarse voice. He had been stationed in the Western Regions for many years and was very knowledgeable. At this moment, his face was also solemn and confused.
"The ascetics spoke of the Venerable One with extreme respect, even fervor. It seemed that he was an extraordinary figure on his way here. Moreover... they also seemed to have mentioned the Dragon Roar Temple."
Longyin Temple?!
Everyone's hearts were raised again.
Is there some kind of collusion between the Jimie Zen Temple and the Longyin Temple?