"Father, how are you? Feeling better?" Ouyang Yuan asked with concern, looking at Ouyang Ningquan.
At this moment, Ouyang Yuan noticed that his black hair had mostly turned white, and his physique had become stooped, having lost the spirited demeanor of his youth.
This sight made Ouyang Yuan's heart ache.
"Father, I'm truly alright. I'll return to the sect tomorrow," he said softly, patting Ouyang Ningquan's back.
"Yuan'er, if you are wronged in the sect, we won't go to that sect anymore," Ouyang Ningquan said, holding Ouyang Yuan's hand with worry.
"Yes, people of our Ouyang family can go anywhere!" Ouyang Qin chimed in.
Hearing this, Ouyang Yuan felt a sense of guilt for the first time.
"Father, Mother, don't worry. What could possibly defeat Little Tyrant?" Ouyang Yuan forced a smile, though he was inwardly cursing Bai Ran.
Damn new disciple!
Just you wait! This young master won't let you off easily!
Meanwhile, Bai Ran, having left the Sect Master's chamber, prepared to find some food for Du Lin.
Although the Dean had warned her to stay within the courtyard, she couldn't let Du Lin starve.
Outside Que Tian Sect lay a dense forest.
It was teeming with Xuan Beasts, making it an ideal place for sect disciples to hone their skills.
Not only could she find food for Du Lin, but she could also solidify her own strength – a win-win situation.
She tapped the hairpin on her head and vanished, leaping over the wall.
The outskirts of the forest were populated by low-level Xuan Beasts, posing little danger compared to the inner regions.
Before long, a fifth-tier Python Lion fell beneath Bai Ran's sword.
She dug out the beast core and handed it to Du Lin, whose eyes lit up as it swallowed it whole.
Fortunately, beast cores served as food for Du Lin; otherwise, Bai Ran would truly be at a loss for what to feed it.
Thus, after hunting dozens of Xuan Beasts and feeding them dozens of beast cores, Du Lin was finally full.
However, Bai Ran didn't stop. Instead, she began hunting more Xuan Beasts.
She intended to stockpile some beast cores, saving herself the trouble of sneaking out of the sect.
Another batch of Xuan Beasts was slaughtered, and soon, not a single Xuan Beast could be seen in the outer areas.
The Xuan Beasts began to whisper amongst themselves, and soon, rumors spread.
They spoke of a woman who had arrived, a terrifying being who specialized in gutting them.
And so, the Xuan Beasts, thoroughly frightened, hid themselves away.
Walking for a long time, Bai Ran saw no more Xuan Beasts. Helplessly, she sat down and tossed the beast cores she had obtained into her spatial artifact.
A thin layer of sweat had appeared on Bai Ran's forehead. She sat cross-legged, closed her eyes, and felt her strength becoming increasingly stable.
A small golden vortex appeared beside her dantian, continuously absorbing light elements from the air.
What is this...?
"Little Zi, a golden vortex has appeared beside my dantian," she asked.
Little Zi, lying lazily in the spatial artifact, stretched languidly.
"That's a spiritual energy vortex of the light attribute. It means you have awakened the light attribute."
So that's what it was.
She slowly opened her eyes, and a white mask suddenly appeared before her.
Bai Ran jumped back abruptly, gripping the Feng Yin sword and warily watching the man before her.
When had he arrived? She hadn't noticed him at all!
Bai Ran's mental power had failed her for the first time.
"Are you the woman from the lower realm that Zhi Rou mentioned?" the masked man asked, stroking his chin as he examined Bai Ran.
His cold gaze sent a shiver down Bai Ran's spine.
"Who are you?"
"Me? Guess," the man said casually, waving his hand.
Strong. Very strong...
She had felt this dangerous aura from Long Jin Han before.
The person before her was not someone she could contend with.
With just one glance, Bai Ran made up her mind to escape. She carefully observed the surrounding paths.
"You can't escape. I've set up a barrier, and with your strength, you won't be able to break it," the man said, as if he had seen through Bai Ran's thoughts, smiling.
"Who is Zhi Rou?" she asked, staring at the masked man.
Seeing the woman's wary gaze, he smiled. "Zhi Rou is the woman who previously journeyed to the lower realm."
"Also, you don't need to be so vigilant. I have only one objective."
That woman's name was Zhi Rou!
Bai Ran's mind raced. The man with the white mask before her...
He could only be the Sect Master of Ziyun Sect!
His objective was the Vermillion Bird!
"I will never hand over the Vermillion Bird to you," Bai Ran said, tightening her grip on her sword.
Clever.
The man watched her with interest, finding her amusing, very amusing.
It would be a shame to kill her.
"Little girl, what is your name?" the man asked, walking towards Bai Ran.
Bai Ran stared intently at his approaching figure. Suddenly, she swung her sword towards the man.
The man paused, surprised. "Little girl, you can't defeat me."
He was about to catch Bai Ran's sword when, in the next instant, she vanished into thin air!
Where did she go?
The man sensed the surrounding energy but couldn't find her at all!
The barrier had been broken! He sensed the rupture in the southwestern part of the barrier.
After a brief moment of stunned silence, he crouched down, laughing uncontrollably.
"Hahahaha!"
"Interesting!"
She had deliberately created the illusion of a desperate struggle before vanishing.
This led him to believe she was lying in ambush, planning a sneak attack, but he hadn't expected...
This little girl had used a diversion, breaking the barrier farthest from him in the southwest, and successfully escaped.
Damn...
He had actually become interested in this little girl...
It was truly...
Enough to make one's killing intent boil...
The man slowly straightened up, tilted his head to look in the direction she had fled, and a sinister smile curved his lips.
Back in the courtyard, Bai Ran violently coughed up a mouthful of blood and fell to the ground.
"Little ghost, are you alright!" Little Zi was frantic, almost destroying half the spatial artifact.
Breaking a corner of the barrier had exhausted all her strength and spiritual energy, even consuming a significant amount of vital blood.
Now, her spiritual energy was in chaos, causing her immense discomfort.
She wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and shakily stood up.
"I'm fine."
"Fine?"
Turning around, Long Jin Han stood behind her, his eyes filled with a hint of anger.
"Why are you here?" Bai Ran sat down and looked at him.
"I thought if I didn't come, you would have lost your life," he said, producing a bottle containing a single drop of red liquid.
"Drink this."
Bai Ran obediently took the bottle and, tilting her head back, drank it.
Immediately, the spiritual energy in her body stabilized, though a burning sensation spread through her.
Seeing the little girl's rare docility, Long Jin Han's anger subsided considerably.
"Your body can't withstand this kind of abuse," he said, gently flicking her forehead with his long fingers.
"Mmm," Bai Ran averted her gaze, her face feeling warm.
"Sit properly," Long Jin Han's cool fingers touched her back, slowly transferring spiritual energy.
The familiar aura, the gentle spiritual energy, gradually lulled Bai Ran, who, exhausted, collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep.
Long Jin Han helplessly pulled the covers over her and ruffled her hair.
Turning away, his expression turned extremely fierce.
"Jing Feng."
Jing Feng, who had been lurking in the shadows, appeared and knelt before him.
"Who injured her to this extent?"
"The man was wearing a mask. This subordinate does not know," he reported, bowing his head.
"Investigate," the cold words sent a shiver down Jing Feng's spine.
"Yes!"