Luckily, he had left Ye Longyi and the others outside; had they all entered the valley, the losses might have been far more disastrous...
With the assistance of Gongsun Xiangyi, the warriors of the Chi Yi tribe were settled, and the toxins were easily purged from their bodies; not a single one more perished...
Though Ye Jingyu was deeply worried about the safety of Ying Xiaoxiao and the others, his own side was now almost completely devoid of combat power. Even if he sought out that Grandmaster-level Xue Hengzhi, or the one whom both the Grandmaster and Ling Xingxuan feared, Bing Ming, there seemed little hope of victory...
They rested in this patch of woods for one night. After a night of recuperation, Ye Jingyu’s fractured ing bone, while not fully healed, had improved significantly, thanks to his formidable self-healing capabilities...
As dawn began to break, something surprised Ye Jingyu and his companions: the valley was surprisingly free of the dense miasma...
The injuries on Chi Yi Xiu had also largely recovered. He had now broken through to Level Four, becoming the first warrior in the history of the Chi Yi tribe to reach Level Five—all thanks to the cultivation method Ye Jingyu had taught him...
At this moment, Chi Yi Xiu sat beside Ye Jingyu, his eyes vigilantly scanning their surroundings. In this peril-laden valley, one could afford no complacency...
Although Ling Xingxuan’s subordinates had long been eliminated, the Grandmaster residing within the valley remained. Given the current injuries sustained by their side, if they truly encountered that Grandmaster, who knew if they could even hold him off?
Xiao Tao Tao was fast asleep nearby, and Ni Bo, unusually, was not cultivating but lying there, seemingly exhausted as well...
As for Gongsun Xiangyi, after healing the Chi Yi warriors, she wisely kept to the side. Xiao Hua was also injured; though not fatally, it still caused her considerable heartache...
However, her thoughts were not entirely consumed by Xiao Hua’s injury. Her ethereal eyes occasionally flickered toward Ye Jingyu’s direction. Even now, she hadn't fully recovered from the shock of seeing Ling Xingxuan instantly annihilated...
"Tatatata..." Just then, the sound of footsteps echoed from the woods. Chi Yi Xiu and Gongsun Xiangyi’s ears instantly perked up, tension clouding both their faces...
Gongsun Xiangyi, in particular, despite being stunned by the power displayed by Ye Jingyu's group, recognized the dire situation: Ye Jingyu was severely wounded, Chi Yi Xiu was heavily injured, even her beloved Xiao Hua was hurt, and the prized Taotie seemed overly fatigued, remaining deep in slumber. If the man-eating Grandmaster arrived now, how could their current strength possibly resist him?
While she was supremely confident in her poisoning skills, she knew that her quarter-share of authority in the valley rested entirely on Xiao Hua standing behind her...
A Grandmaster could utterly disregard any poison...
Listening to the rapidly approaching footsteps, Gongsun Xiangyi’s heart clenched painfully tight...
At that very moment, a figure materialized before them. Everyone's gaze snapped toward the spot—it was a man bearded face, yet emanating an immensely powerful aura...
Upon seeing the man's features, a look of sheer terror washed over Gongsun Xiangyi's face. He had truly come... and how could the now heavily wounded group possibly stand against him?
Yet, in just a moment, the dread in Gongsun Xiangyi’s eyes was entirely replaced by astonishment...
The reason was simple: Xue Hengzhi was utterly ruined. His body was crisscrossed with wounds, the blood having already saturated his tattered clothes. Even more terrifyingly, his entire right arm had been severed cleanly at the wrist...
Who? Who possessed the strength to injure this Grandmaster?
"Big Brother..." A clear, sweet girl's voice snapped Gongsun Xiangyi out of her stupor. She then saw a little girl, perhaps ten years old, rushing toward Ye Jingyu with a sweet smile...
She finally threw herself right into Ye Jingyu's arms...
Gongsun Xiangyi’s expression shifted drastically. Could this little girl be the one who injured Xue Hengzhi to this extent?
"Mm..." Ye Jingyu clearly hadn't anticipated Hei Ming Shixuan’s appearance at this critical moment, nor the passionate embrace she delivered. Caught completely off guard, he jarred his wound and let out a muffled groan of pain...
"Is Big Brother hurt?" Hearing Ye Jingyu's groan, Hei Ming Shixuan lifted her head, her pair of purple eyes filled with concern...
"Hehe, it’s nothing, just needs some rest..." Looking into Hei Ming Shixuan's earnest, worried purple gaze, Ye Jingyu offered a gentle smile, reaching out to pinch the girl's plump cheek...