As twilight deepened, the bustling main street of Tianshui City gradually emptied of its pedestrians. The first release of the novel à.1κ.０ text version.
As the last rays of the sunset faded and night quietly descended upon the broad thoroughfare, Ji Changkong and Bai Qingya hurried along, their expressions serious, making straight for the Lingbao Pavilion.
Whoosh!
A figure, completely caked in mud so that their features were indistinguishable, suddenly burst from the ground. Dust billowed, obscuring vision, as the figure lunged straight for the rushing Ji Changkong and Bai Qingya.
"How dare you act so brazenly, attacking people right on the street!"
Bai Qingya cried out sharply. With a flick of her delicate, jade-like hand, an illusion of the Black Tortoise materialized in the void. Crystalline water arrows shot from the phantom beast's mouth, aimed directly at the attacker.
A swirl of earthy yellow light flickered around the approaching figure. He raised a hand and struck, causing two earth dragons, as thick as a man's waist, to suddenly spiral upward.
The earth dragons were astonishingly lifelike, their long bodies coiling and twisting. They effortlessly intercepted all the water arrows fired by the Black Tortoise illusion. Winding across the street, they swiftly bypassed Bai Qingya and snapped toward Ji Changkong, who was already sprinting ahead.
Ji Changkong stopped abruptly, turning back. His chest and abdomen swelled, and he flung out his arms.
Splash! Splash! Rumble!
The Triple Wave of Astonishing Waves struck out, infused with the might of Heavenly Thunder. Ripples of water undulated through the air, accompanied by the resounding boom of thunder.
The first wave struck, merely halting the soaring momentum of the earth dragons without inflicting significant damage. As the second wave erupted, the earth dragon's body suddenly stiffened, seemingly unable to withstand the force of the second wave’s power, preventing it from continuing its fierce advance.
The third wave broke forth, the thunder deafening, the sound of surging water rising high. This final strike, fusing the power of Heavenly Thunder Force and the Astonishing Waves Art, maximized the technique's potency, surging forth with the unstoppable might of a raging river.
Boom!
With a massive concussion, the earth dragon—formed from concentrated elemental energy shaping the earth—shattered into several pieces. Its rear half dissolved back into dirt, raining down onto the street.
Only the head section, after a brief pause, shot forward like lightning, slamming squarely into Ji Changkong's chest.
An irresistible, immense force, carrying a dense, heavy aura, surged directly into Ji Changkong’s body.
Even though he was at the Third Heaven Realm and possessed profound elemental energy, and despite the miraculous nature of his secret technique fusing Heavenly Thunder Force and the Astonishing Waves Art, facing a cultivator at the Ninth Heaven Realm was too much. His body was sent flying backward.
Bang!
He vaulted over a high wall and crashed into a nearby manor. Inside, his elemental energy was in chaos, his chest felt compressed, and his ability to defend himself was gone.
Bai Qingya shrieked, rushing out desperately. The Black Tortoise illusion raged within the watery chaos, savagely clawing at the enemy still shrouded in mud.
"You are lucky this time! To be able to retreat to the Lingbao Pavilion!"
With a cold snort, the attacker did not press his advantage nor linger to tangle with Bai Qingya. He suddenly plunged into the earth and vanished without a trace.
Bai Qingya, consumed by worry for Ji Changkong’s safety, hurriedly spun around and rushed toward the Lingbao Pavilion where he had fallen, her face a picture of utter panic.
In her mind, Ji Changkong, only at the Third Heaven Realm, taking such a direct blow from a Ninth Heaven Realm expert, was surely facing a grim fate. Though she had known him only for a few days, the thought of him leaving her so soon caused her heart unbearable pain; even her breath felt strained.
Bai Qingya, her delicate face etched with sorrow, reached Ji Changkong only to find several Chen family guards from the Lingbao Pavilion already surrounding him, pointing and murmuring among themselves.
"Move aside!"
Shoving aside a Chen family guard who blocked her path, Bai Qingya rushed to Ji Changkong’s side, her expression mournful. She saw that his face was frighteningly flushed, as if blood were seeping through his skin.
"You... how are you?" she asked anxiously.
With an unsteady breath, Ji Changkong fished out a broken piece of fine jade and managed a wry smile. "This jade blocked three strikes for me, saving my life three times. It’s completely useless now." He stood up with slight difficulty, glanced at the tearful Bai Qingya, and said, "Sister Bai, rest assured, though I am injured, I certainly won't die."
"Everyone, my apologies," Bai Qingya stepped forward, steadying Ji Changkong’s precarious stance before addressing the gathered Chen family guards. "My younger brother and I were just hunted down, and we had no choice but to seek refuge here at the Lingbao Pavilion."
After a pause, Bai Qingya continued with some hesitation, "I am the daughter of Bai Canghai from the Moon Splendor Sect. Could you please accommodate us and allow my brother and me to rest here for one night?"
"It is Miss Bai," a guard around fifty years old nodded, then instructed a younger guard, "Chen Yun, arrange a side room for Miss Bai!"
The older guard paused, then explained apologetically, "Miss Bai, we are truly sorry. The Lingbao Convention is currently underway, and many distinguished guests are staying at the Pavilion. Our rooms are limited. Considering your brother's injury, you need to look after him closely, so we can only arrange a single room for the two of you."
"That is fine, thank you," Bai Qingya replied quickly.
"Follow me, both of you." The young guard named Chen Yun led Bai Qingya and Ji Changkong to the guest quarters behind the Lingbao Pavilion. Passing several ornate buildings, he took them to a more secluded room in the rear. After opening the door for them, he smiled, "If you require anything, you may instruct the serving maids in the front. They will diligently attend to any request from the guests in this wing."
"Yes, thank you," Bai Qingya responded politely, closing the door and helping Ji Changkong sit down on a chair inside.
...
Once seated, Ji Changkong felt immense turbulence within his body. The power contained within the earth dragon was raging through his chest, attempting to tear his physical form apart.
His face flushed crimson, Ji Changkong focused his entire being, using his elemental energy to resist, failing to hear Bai Qingya's questions nearby.
The destructive power contained within a strike from a Ninth Heaven Realm expert was astonishing. He mobilized all his elemental energy, yet still could not expel the invading force lodged deep within him.
Suddenly, that strange energy began to flow into Ji Changkong's bloodstream.
In an instant, the blood in Ji Changkong's body seemed to ignite and boil. Before he could react, his entire blood system acted like a primeval beast, instantly swallowing up the foreign energy that had invaded it.
The blood boiled, enveloping the invading force and burning it fiercely!
Pfft!
A mouthful of blood sprayed out. With the expulsion of this blood, it seemed as if all the abnormal power that had infiltrated his system vanished without a trace!
The blood splattered on the wall carried traces of earth, as if the power of the earth dragon that had forced its way inside him had been expelled along with that single vomit of blood.
The next moment, the chaotic energy within Ji Changkong abruptly stabilized.
Aside from a faint ache in his chest, he felt no other discomfort. It was as if he had never been injured at all.
He stood up and moved his limbs. His elemental energy flowed swiftly, and when he punched out, it carried tremendous force; the power surged unimpeded through his arms.
"Huh!"
Bai Qingya gasped, staring in disbelief at Ji Changkong, who moments ago could barely move. "Changkong, you can stand up? How can you be moving around so lively after taking a strike from that Ninth Heaven Realm expert?"
"It wasn't that powerful!" Ji Changkong was also full of confusion. He cautiously continued to utilize the Heavenly Thunder Force; the three Heavenly Thunder Fields in his chest spun up without the slightest abnormality.
"Not that powerful!?" Bai Qingya shrieked, then realized her voice was too loud and quickly lowered it. "Even I couldn't hope to recover this quickly after taking a blow from a Ninth Heaven Realm expert!" She shook her head with a wry smile, muttering quietly, "What is going on with you? Why do your capabilities consistently defy all norms..."
"Ah..."
Ji Changkong cried out softly, trembling violently, his flesh tightening, his face filled with horror.
At that precise moment, he felt a terrifying suction force emanating from the blood within his body.
In a single instant, all the elemental energy in his body was drained away by his blood!
His blood flowed rapidly, and after a short while, a new batch of blood, purely condensed from elemental energy, mixed with the existing blood coursing through his limbs and torso.
Elemental energy generating blood!
...
He collapsed onto the floor, utterly weak, staring blankly at Bai Qingya. "Sister Bai, how much elemental energy does it take for someone at the Third Heaven Realm to generate a single mouthful of fresh blood?"
"At most, ten percent of one's total elemental energy, right?" Bai Qingya replied quickly, then asked with concern, "Changkong, what is wrong?"
"Why did it take all ten percent of my elemental energy just to generate one mouthful of blood? And it still feels like ten percent wasn't quite enough!" Ji Changkong managed a bitter smile.
At these words, Bai Qingya stood frozen, completely unable to answer.