Yuliya, seeing Ling Tian injured, immediately perked up. She took three steps and then two more, rushing to the edge of the boat and leaping aboard.
She knelt before the man, offering a salute with both hands.
"Thank you for your rescue, Protector Yun!"
The man in blue on the boat was named Yun Hantian. He was not just a martial artist but also a cultivator.
He hailed from an ancient sect with a thousand-year history: the Heavenly Mountain Sword Sect!
This sect was situated within the Heavenly Mountains, a place with harsh natural conditions but abundant rare treasures.
The sect's greatest expertise lay in swordsmanship, and their swordsmanship encompassed not just ordinary sword techniques but also flying swords!
Although the spiritual energy of heaven and earth had been depleted over millennia, the spiritual energy in the vicinity of the Heavenly Mountain Sword Sect remained far richer than in other places.
Coupled with the Heavenly Mountain Sword Sect's constant search for promising talents worldwide, their ability to control flying swords had not been lost!
However, the people of the Heavenly Mountain Sword Sect were also clear-headed. They understood the principle that innocence could lead to calamity when possessing valuable items. If they were not strong enough, their ability to wield flying swords would attract covetous glances from many ill-intentioned individuals.
Therefore, for thousands of years, they had remained very low-key, content to occupy their own corner of the world.
But now, as the Immortal Palace asteroid drew closer to Earth, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth on Earth was also reviving. Those from the Heavenly Mountain Sword Sect felt this more acutely.
The Heavenly Mountain Sword Sect saw this as an opportunity, a chance to return to the secular world. After all, who would want to spend their entire lives in such an inhospitable environment?
It was at this juncture that the people from the Demonic Heaven Sect approached them, offering substantial amounts of money and rare treasures in exchange for their allegiance.
Having had no contact with the martial arts world of the Central Plains for thousands of years, the Heavenly Mountain Sword Sect saw no issue with collaborating with unorthodox paths.
As long as it brought them benefits, they were willing to sell anything. Thus, the Heavenly Mountain Sword Sect agreed to join the Demonic Heaven Sect, and the sect leader of the Heavenly Mountain Sword Sect, the young man who appeared to be in his thirties, Yun Hantian, became an elder of the Demonic Heaven Sect.
In reality, this old fellow was over fifty years old; it was his cultivation technique that made him appear so youthful.
Within the Demonic Heaven Sect, the status of an elder was higher than that of the thirteen Protectors like Yuliya.
Originally, he had come to Jiangnan Province today merely for a tour. In his opinion, dealing with the Misty Rain Pavilion was a task well within the capabilities of Protectors Yuliya and Li Fei.
He had not expected that the cannon fodder, the members of the Ghost Blade Sect, would truly become cannon fodder!
What he had not expected even more was that two Protectors of the Demonic Heaven Sect, Li Fei, had been eliminated, and Yuliya was being pursued like a stray dog. If Yuliya were to be killed by Ling Tian right before his eyes, how could he possibly save face? Thus, he decisively intervened and injured Ling Tian!
But what surprised him even more was that his killing blow, the flying sword, which he had unleashed with almost full power, had only injured Ling Tian, not killed him!
Little did he know that his single strike had triggered over a dozen Vajra Talismans on Ling Tian!
These Vajra Talismans acted like layers of shields, deflecting most of the attack's power for Ling Tian. Otherwise, Ling Tian would have perished without a burial place today!
Yun Hantian, standing at the bow of the boat, intended to control his flying sword again to attack Ling Tian and finish him off completely.
However, at this moment, Ling Tian also stood up. Blood seeped from the corner of his mouth. Ling Tian knew clearly that his opponent today was not to be trifled with and that he might very well lose his life here. It was time to fight for his life!
With this thought, Ling Tian swiftly released four fire spirits, which directly pounced towards the steamship. Simultaneously, a book of Exploding Fire Talismans appeared in Ling Tian's hand. Infusing it with true essence, over ten fireballs flew towards the steamship almost simultaneously.
Seeing so many fireballs, even Yun Hantian felt his right eyelid twitching, his pupils constricting. The next moment, the sky filled with fireballs directly struck the steamship, engulfing the entire vessel in a massive inferno.
A second or two before the fireballs reached their target, Yun Hantian had already pulled Yuliya and leaped into the river!
Ling Tian immediately rushed to the riverbank, preparing to unleash his extreme cold energy to freeze the couple. However, Ling Tian saw that after entering the water, Yun Hantian held Yuliya under his armpit, gripped his flying sword with his other hand, and his flying sword hovered two meters above the water's surface. His feet stood on the water, and he began to fly just above the surface!
Their speed was even faster than a speedboat, a maneuver that utterly astonished Ling Tian.
At this point, the remaining two steamships, sensing the unfavorable turn of events, also prepared to depart. Ling Tian unleashed several fireballs, reducing these two boats to ashes as well.
With no living targets left, Ling Tian contacted Qiu Hong via his earpiece and learned that the intruders on the island had all been cleared. Only then did Ling Tian collapse onto the ground, spitting blood profusely.
The power of that last strike had been immense. Although the Vajra Talismans had absorbed most of the flying sword's power, the sheer impact force had caused Ling Tian's internal organs to shift!
The blood vessels in his lungs had also ruptured, leading to the spitting of blood. This was likely the most severe injury Ling Tian had ever sustained.
"Ling Tian, are you alright!"
Qiu Hong and Yan Yu, seeing Ling Tian spitting blood through the camera, were terrified. Qiu Hong, in particular, was on the verge of tears.
"I'm fine. You two take care of the aftermath on the island and dispose of the bodies!
I'll find a place to heal first. Don't worry about me!
Also, Sister Qiu Hong, Master Yan Yu, strengthen the island's defenses to prevent those people from returning!"
After speaking, Ling Tian turned and leaped into the river.
However, as soon as his body submerged, he vanished, entering the Spirit Realm space. The coordinates of the Spirit Realm space were set at a depth of over two meters underwater near the shore.
Ling Tian first found some medicine from his warehouse and took it, then began circulating his energy, using his true essence to reset his displaced internal organs.
Following this, Ling Tian fell into a deep sleep. Within his body, his true essence automatically circulated along a unique trajectory, repairing the damaged areas.
He slept for a full two days before Ling Tian finally woke up. At this point, he could feel that his injuries had recovered by more than half!
This injury was unprecedented for Ling Tian. The severity of his condition was comparable to being hit directly in the chest by a car traveling at 180 kilometers per hour.
It was Ling Tian, after all. Had it been anyone else, they would have surely perished without a burial place!