Time gradually passed. Unbeknownst to him, Bai Xinghan, who had been pulled underground and impacted by the blood of ancient gods and demons, slowly regained consciousness.
Upon waking, Bai Xinghan surveyed his surroundings with difficulty. However, the depths of the earth were now devoid of any lingering presence, posing no threat whatsoever.
After meditating and healing his injuries for a full hour, Bai Xinghan’s condition improved considerably.
“What in the world is this place?” With his injuries mostly mended, Bai Xinghan finally stood up and took in his surroundings. What he saw astonished him.
The extent of the damage around them clearly indicated a terrible confrontation had taken place.
In the next moment, Bai Xinghan saw Li Xuan lying in the blood pool.
At this moment, Bai Xinghan recalled that when he was dragged underground, someone had jumped down behind him. Now, it was evident that person was Li Xuan.
“Commander Li, Commander Li!” Bai Xinghan called out, but Li Xuan, lying in the blood pool that was now devoid of any blood, remained motionless.
Growing anxious, Bai Xinghan cautiously checked Li Xuan’s breathing, only to find no sign of respiration.
A wave of self-reproach washed over Bai Xinghan. “Did Commander Li perish saving me?”
“No! Even if Commander Li has fallen, I must still bring him back up!” Bai Xinghan wiped away his tears and then lifted Li Xuan’s body, standing up.
Boom!
At that moment, a terrifying force erupted. Bai Xinghan was instantly flung backward.
In the next instant, Li Xuan’s tightly shut eyes snapped open. Two beams of sharp light shot out, piercing through the mountain in front of him. His gaze was cold, like that of a demon god.
However, Li Xuan’s eyes soon clouded with confusion, and after a few moments, his clarity gradually returned.
“Bai Xinghan?” Li Xuan looked up. Bai Xinghan was already being propelled toward the mountainside by the power emanating from Li Xuan. With Bai Xinghan’s current condition, he couldn’t withstand such force.
Seeing this, Li Xuan quickly waved his hand, and an invisible force enveloped Bai Xinghan, gently setting him down.
“Commander Li, you… you’re not dead!” Bai Xinghan, having landed safely, paid no mind to how close he had come to being injured again and excitedly rushed towards Li Xuan.
“I’m not dead. Are you alright?” Li Xuan smiled slightly and asked Bai Xinghan, having heard him.
“Commander Li, I’m fine. Are you… are you really alive?” Bai Xinghan nodded quickly but still asked with a hint of nervousness.
Li Xuan smiled and shook his head. He then stepped forward and patted Bai Xinghan on the shoulder. “We’re both alive. We didn’t die.”
“Hiss! Commander Li, your grip is too strong.” Though Li Xuan had only patted him lightly, Bai Xinghan felt as if he had been struck by a heavy object, his body sinking down. Bai Xinghan stared at Li Xuan in shock, realizing that Li Xuan had only made a casual gesture.
“This strength… it seems a little off.” Li Xuan also felt that his body was different from before. With a slight frown, he spoke, “Step back a bit. I need to examine myself.”
“Alright.” Bai Xinghan immediately retreated several steps, having clearly sensed the change in Li Xuan since he awoke.
As Bai Xinghan reached the edge of the mountainside, Li Xuan took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and began to examine himself internally.
“This is…” As he looked inward, Li Xuan was secretly stunned. He saw that his meridians had thickened, and his blood was now extremely abundant. Furthermore, not only had the spiritual energy in his dantian solidified further, but his sea of qi had also expanded several times over.
Li Xuan calculated that his current spiritual energy reserves were nearly ten times what they had been before!
In addition, his physical body, which had been stuck at a bottleneck, had now broken through. Li Xuan had a feeling that a single punch from him now could severely injure Du Jing’tong.
Of course, these sudden increases brought Li Xuan great joy.
Li Xuan slowly opened his eyes, his gaze filled with uncertainty. After all, he had completely lost consciousness when he was swept into the blood pool. He had no memory of what happened afterward.
“Little Brush!” Li Xuan willed it, summoning the Heavenly Dao Brush. If anything had changed after Li Xuan fell unconscious, the Heavenly Dao Brush should know.
Moreover, Li Xuan could only rely on the Heavenly Dao Brush for answers, but he was again left helpless. As Li Xuan had fallen unconscious, the Zhenyu also seemed to be sealed, and it had no knowledge of Li Xuan’s subsequent situation.
“You’re saying you sensed two incredibly powerful forces within me?” Although the Heavenly Dao Brush couldn’t provide Li Xuan with concrete information, it did relay what it had sensed at the last moment.
Li Xuan pondered for a moment, a rough guess forming in his mind.
“I was pulled into the blood pool, and I vaguely remember it being full of blood. Now that the blood is gone, coupled with those two forces. It seems, perhaps, that the blood of ancient gods and demons is actually a collective term for divine blood and demonic blood? Even so, how could my body withstand it?”
“Perhaps, the blood of ancient gods and demons were natural enemies, and the only possibility is that they canceled each other out within me. Beyond that, I can’t find any other reasonable explanation.” Although Li Xuan’s speculation was very close to the truth, he was still unable to ascertain what happened afterward.
He remembered that the sheer aura and pressure had made his scalp tingle, let alone being swept into the blood pool. And the fact that Li Xuan survived was truly unanswerable.
“Commander Li, are you alright?” Seeing Li Xuan lost in thought after opening his eyes, Bai Xinghan asked with some concern.
Li Xuan snapped back to attention, shook his head, and said, “I’m fine. There are just a few things I can’t figure out. Never mind, I don’t know how long we were unconscious down here. Everyone must be worried sick. Let’s return to the wooden pavilion first and then make plans.”
“Alright.” Bai Xinghan was relieved and nodded in agreement.
“Yes, let’s go.” Li Xuan nodded, glanced around once more, and then quickly flew up the hole. Seeing this, Bai Xinghan also circulated his spiritual energy and followed behind.
“Huh? They’re all gone?” Upon returning to the surface, Li Xuan found that the ground was deserted. Even Bai Xinghan, who had just ascended with him, looked around in surprise.
“Judging by this, we must have been trapped underground for quite some time. Never mind, let’s head back to the wooden pavilion.” Li Xuan pondered for a moment and then said.
“Alright.” Bai Xinghan nodded.
In the next moment, the two figures swiftly ascended into the void and disappeared.
Unbeknownst to Li Xuan, as he and Bai Xinghan departed, a graceful figure in a green robe slowly appeared beside the underground hole.
“I didn’t expect the blood of ancient gods and demons to indeed vanish. It seems the fated person mentioned by the Great Venerable is indeed him. But since he has arrived, why would Venerable Bai and the Domain Lord’s wife place him in our wooden pavilion?”