"!"
Ning Bufan's pupils contracted. Chen Shu had vanished, replaced by an endless, surging sea of blood. The ears were filled with the ferocious beast's venomous roars, brimming with unwillingness and hatred.
The killing intent was too terrifying; even Ning Bufan's mind faltered.
However, he was, after all, a top-tier powerhouse in Huaguo, hailed as the foremost figure below the Legendary realm. He quickly regained his composure.
Gazing at Chen Shu, whose eyes had turned blood-red, Ning Bufan realized something was amiss. He instantly summoned a contract spirit in the form of a cloud.
The cloud trembled slightly, and strands of white light appeared, enveloping Chen Shu's mind.
Moments later, clarity returned to Chen Shu's eyes.
"Principal, what happened to me?"
Before Ning Bufan could speak, Chen Shu seemed to recall something and instantly became extremely flustered, exclaiming,
"Right, what happened to Old Liu?!"
"Calm yourself first. If you get controlled by killing intent again, I might not be able to save you."
With Chen Shu's abilities, he could actually control his killing intent perfectly. However, if his mind faltered, there was a risk of losing himself.
Upon hearing this, Chen Shu took a deep breath but remained visibly anxious and unsettled.
"Don't worry too much, he's still alive."
Ning Bufan reassured him again. It was only then that he understood Liu Feng's importance in Chen Shu's heart.
"That's good..."
Indeed, upon hearing this, Chen Shu regained some composure and forcibly suppressed his killing intent.
"Follow me!"
With a single teleportation, the two vanished from the battlefield and appeared in the central command room at the heart of the continent.
"Old Liu!"
Chen Shu, completely ignoring the elder and Qin Tian beside him, instantly moved to Liu Feng's side.
Liu Feng was lying prone in mid-air, his body bleeding, his eyes tightly shut. His life aura had weakened to an extreme.
Only the slight rise and fall of his chest indicated that he was still alive...
Qin Tian's expression was grave as he said,
"Chen Shu, save him first."
Chen Shu finally recovered from his panic and quickly issued instructions to his little spirit.
As a precaution, he even specifically administered a Berserk Potion.
The little spirit's expression shifted, and then a ball of green light, imbued with extreme life energy, appeared and merged into Liu Feng's body.
This was the divine skill [Resurrection from Death]!
Its terrifying aspect wasn't its recovery ability, but that it worked on humans just as effectively, with no reduction in effect.
Theoretically, as long as there was a single breath left, the little spirit could pull anyone back from the brink of death.
As expected, the green light permeated Liu Feng's entire body. The bleeding wounds instantly healed, leaving not even a trace of a scar.
In an instant, Liu Feng's external injuries were completely healed, but the healing was not yet complete.
The green light penetrated deep into Liu Feng's body, beginning to repair internal injuries. This also did not take long.
Finally, the green light began to replenish Liu Feng's life force, which was its most crucial function.
Several minutes later, the green light completely dissipated.
Liu Feng's injuries were healed, and his breathing gradually stabilized, but he still did not awaken.
"Why hasn't he woken up yet?! Isn't this a divine skill!?"
Chen Shu's expression was grim, even bordering on frantic.
"Don't rush!"
The elder patted his shoulder and said, "I've temporarily sealed his consciousness. This will prolong his life."
Upon hearing this, Chen Shu breathed a sigh of relief, muttering repeatedly,
"That's good, that's good..."
Looking at Chen Shu, everyone remained silent, as if they no longer recognized him.
Unbeknownst to them, the once-invincible formidable bandit had actually developed a soft spot...
"Liu Feng needs some time to rest, so I won't unseal his consciousness,"
The elder stated, "Chen Shu, come with me for a moment."
Everyone nodded and left the area, heading to another room.
Chen Shu asked, "Elder, is it because of the ferocious beasts?"
"No."
The elder shook his head and slowly said, "This is the thirty-ninth incident!"
"!"
Chen Shu's expression immediately froze. He remembered the internal unrest that had not appeared for days, and he quickly asked,
"In Old Liu's mind, is there also that soul power?!"
"It's not him,"
At this moment, Qin Tian interjected, "It's the Governor of Yuan Ning Province!"
"Then how did Teacher Liu get injured?"
Chen Shu frowned, a hint of confusion in his voice.
Qin Tian fell silent for a moment before slowly explaining, "We were fighting on the northern sea battlefield, dealing with a King-tier Lord ferocious beast.
"But the Governor of Yuan Ning Province behind me suddenly had a problem. His five contract spirits immediately attacked me!"
"I only realized it then, but there was no time to react..."
"However, at that critical moment, Old Liu, who was by my side, fearlessly blocked for me!"
"Is this why Teacher Liu was severely injured?"
Chen Shu licked his lips, a cold killing intent in his eyes.
However, it wasn't directed at the Governor of Yuan Ning Province, but at the mastermind who had been absent for so long.
This person was likely not of Legendary rank, but their threat to Huaguo was already no less than that of a Legendary creature.
At this moment, Chen Shu looked at everyone and was slightly taken aback.
"..."
He saw that everyone was sighing intermittently, their eyes still filled with a heavy expression.
Chen Shu's heart sank, and he quickly asked,
"What's wrong? Is there something else you haven't told me?"
The others exchanged glances, finally directing their gaze to Qin Tian.
Qin Tian's eyes held a trace of guilt, and he then said,
"At that time, Old Liu's contract spirits were in a weakened state after taking medicine, and he was facing the Governor of Yuan Ning Province, who had also taken medicine..."
Chen Shu's expression jolted as he immediately understood.
"Then Teacher Liu's contract spirits..."
Qin Tian's face was filled with self-reproach, "Only a severely injured and dying Ice Bird remained. As for the other four contract spirits..."
"..."
Chen Shu closed his eyes, a hint of grief in them.
No wonder everyone's expressions were so heavy.
For a beast tamer, contract spirits were their lifelong combat partners and their source of strength.
Liu Feng, a King-tier beast tamer, now only had one contract spirit, and his combat power had naturally dropped to its lowest point, with no hope of further advancement for life.
Any beast tamer would likely be unable to accept such a devastating blow.
"Try to look on the bright side..."
The elder beside him patted his shoulder and said, "Now, at least half of the King-tier beast tamers have had their contract spirits killed in battle. This is war!"
The casualties of the ferocious beasts were heavy, and it was impossible for humans to maintain a record of zero casualties. After all, even science fiction movies weren't this absurd.
However, their casualties were not themselves, but their contract spirits, who had accompanied them for many years and were like family!
"Elder, I'm fine..."
Chen Shu took a deep breath and forced a smile, saying,
"Actually, this is for the best. At least Old Liu can retire peacefully, and there will be no danger to his life."