"Master, hold on a little longer," Zhu Que said anxiously, taking out a handkerchief to wipe the cold sweat beading on Bai Ran's forehead.
Bai Ran gritted her teeth. The spiritual energy in the air felt like thousands of needles piercing her pores, causing unbearable pain. If the spiritual energy didn't return to normal soon, she would be crushed to death by its density within half a day.
Xiao Zi looked at Bai Ran, his eyes filled with undisguised worry. Just then, a knock sounded from outside the door. Everyone looked over as the door creaked open and Zhong Zi slowly walked in.
"Zhong Zi?"
He nodded faintly, a few undried bloodstains still clinging to his robe—those of the heavenly soldiers from the Divine Realm.
"Now, every corner of the Nine Heavens is being patrolled by people from the Divine Realm. We must be cautious."
Xiao Zi glanced outside the door and pursed his lips helplessly. "Are the fallen demon guards...?"
Their gazes followed his to the doorway where a neat row of demon soldiers lay unconscious. Zhong Zi averted his gaze. "For some reason, they blocked me from entering."
It was Lin Ze's order, no doubt... Zhu Que rubbed her forehead. So he had knocked them all out...
"How is the King?" Zhong Zi stepped forward, looking at Bai Ran with extreme concern.
Xiao Zi also turned to the weakened figure on the chair. "Lin Ze has gone to get the Three-Marked Black Bird Pill. He should be back soon."
The Three-Marked Black Bird Pill! Zhong Zi's expression tightened, and he looked at Xiao Zi in disbelief. "Are you speaking of the Emperor-tier Three-Marked pill, the Black Bird Pill?"
Xiao Zi nodded. "You are correct."
The Emperor-tier Three-Marked Black Bird Pill was a rare medicinal pill, just like the Emperor-tier Three-Marked Clear Spirit Pill. It was said that the Emperor-tier Three-Marked Black Bird Pill was developed by the first Ghost King. However, with the decline of the ghost tribe, the pill formula was completely lost. In all of the Nine Heavens, there were only three such pills in total, currently held by the Demon Realm, the Divine Realm, and the Demon Race respectively.
Urgent footsteps sounded from outside, and Lin Ze appeared at the doorway, panting. "What happened!"
Seeing the soldiers lying scattered outside, Lin Ze's heart pounded with anxiety, mistaking it for an unexpected enemy attack.
Xiao Zi walked towards Lin Ze as he explained, "It's nothing, just a misunderstanding."
After receiving the pill, Xiao Zi quickly handed it to Bai Ran. "Little ghost, it will hurt a bit. Bear with it. You absolutely cannot faint." The process of repairing her dantian was extremely painful. If she fainted during the recovery, she wouldn't be able to endure the second Black Bird Pill.
Bai Ran's consciousness was hazy. She took the pill and swallowed it. At first, a cool, fragrant sensation filled her abdomen, but in an instant, her dantian felt like it was burning, a sharp pain rapidly spreading throughout her body. She bit her lower lip until it broke, and her palms bled from clenching them. This bone-piercing pain was comparable to the agony she felt when inheriting the position of Ghost King.
"Little ghost, hang in there!" Xiao Zi stood by, watching helplessly, his heart filled with anxiety. The pain was heart-wrenching. Her entire body's blood seemed to boil, roaring and surging within her. Bai Ran let out a muffled groan from the pain, large beads of sweat trickling down her forehead. Her pale face gradually regained its color due to the pill.
Half an hour later, the pain in Bai Ran's body slowly subsided, and her damaged meridians began to uncoil.
"It's over," the people surrounding her sighed in relief.
"Although Little Ghost is out of danger, she still needs to rest well. She shouldn't use spiritual energy for the next few days," Xiao Zi said, wiping her sweat meticulously.
Lin Ze nodded in agreement. "Stay within the demon tribe these next few days."
"But why did she end up in such a state?" Her dantian was damaged, her meridians were severed, as if she had forcefully boosted her cultivation and suffered a backlash.
As soon as Lin Ze finished speaking, the room fell silent. Why had she ended up like this... Zhu Que clutched her robe, her gaze involuntarily shifting away. None of them present dared to answer Lin Ze's question. Xiao Zi subtly glanced at Bai Ran, then winked at Lin Ze, you idiot! Why would you speak without thinking?
Lin Ze received Xiao Zi's gaze and immediately realized he had said something wrong...
Bai Ran let out a faint, weak laugh. "I was simply unwilling to accept it."
Unwilling to accept it... Xiao Zi frowned, his worry for Bai Ran evident.
"We'll head out first. Little Ghost, get some good rest." With that, they left the room.
As the door closed, the room instantly became quiet, leaving Bai Ran sitting alone. Bai Ran gazed at the azure sky outside the window, the figures of Qing Yue and the other three appearing in her mind. Their souls had been annihilated in the self-detonation, so they couldn't possibly be by her side. The four of them appearing was merely a hallucination caused by Bai Ran's complete loss of spiritual energy and her discomfort in the Nine Heavens.
Bai Ran's eyes narrowed slightly, a sharp glint appearing on her face. The spiritual energy around her fluctuated, and a dark figure tore through space, stepping out slowly.
"Girl, I'm late." A deep voice, tinged with apology, filled the air. Long Jin Han stood before Bai Ran, his robe bearing traces of un-dried blood. With a single glance, Bai Ran knew he had just come from the battlefield.
Long Jin Han knelt down and took Bai Ran's slightly cool hand. "Girl, do you feel unwell anywhere?"
Bai Ran shook her head slightly, a faint smile on her lips. "No." Long Jin Han had heard the entire story from Jing Feng. The mere thought of the little girl being alone and helpless then, only blaming herself, caused a dull ache in his heart.
"Rest well. We'll think about other matters once you've recovered."
Bai Ran nodded. Once her body had improved, it would be time to prioritize the matter of swapping bodies. Jing Feng, who had been lurking in the spatial rift, blinked and scratched his cheek. "Should... should we come out?"
Jiang Ye pursed his lips. "Perhaps not..."
...
"Did... did I say the wrong thing?" Lin Ze stopped outside the room.
Zhu Que sighed. "In any case, we can't agitate Master anymore. For now, let her rest well."
"That Mo Ze, to come up with such a treacherous scheme." Xiao Zi was furious just thinking about it. If he had gone through all that, he would have needed days to recover, let alone Little Ghost.
"Has the clan protection barrier been restored?" Xiao Zi asked Lin Ze.
Lin Ze nodded. "It was restored as soon as you entered the demon tribe, and no one from the Divine Realm managed to sneak in." Now, the Nine Heavens were filled with people from the Divine Realm. If their whereabouts were discovered, the demon tribe might attract the attention of the God Emperor and lead to war.