Xiao Man thought she was surely going to die. Suddenly, a golden light erupted from her, scattering Zang Xu’s attack. Zang Xu was repelled by the backlash, staggering back over ten meters and spitting out a mouthful of blood.
Xiao Man looked at her hands in shock. The golden light… could it be from that time? Xiao Man remembered the old man she met at the city gate. He had said he had a gift for her, and touched her palm. She saw a flash of golden light but felt nothing. She thought the old man was playing a trick on her, but unexpectedly, it saved her life at a critical moment.
Taking advantage of Zang Xu being repelled, Xiao Man quickly pulled Ze Fang out of Yang Ming Valley. Her formation should have been able to trap Zang Xu for some time, giving them a chance to escape. Who knew Zang Xu would break through her formation with brute force like a madman, appearing before them instantly.
Ze Fang grabbed Xiao Man’s shoulder, about to throw her away. Unexpectedly, Xiao Man pushed him away without hesitation, stepping in front of him.
Blood blurred Ze Fang’s vision. Xiao Man, like a withered butterfly in the wind, fell towards the ground.
“Man’er!” Ze Fang rushed forward, catching Xiao Man.
As Xiao Man opened her mouth, blood gushed out. Yet, a curve appeared on her lips. She laboriously reached out to touch Ze Fang’s face, “So good… you are… still alive…”
As the words fell, Xiao Man slowly closed her eyes, sinking into complete darkness. She was too tired and needed a good rest.
Ze Fang held Xiao Man, trembling uncontrollably. Zang Xu sneered, stepped forward, and raised his palm, intending to strike Ze Fang down as well. Just as both were about to fall under Zang Xu’s demonic claws, a figure flashed like lightning, instantly appearing beside Ze Fang. They blocked Zang Xu’s descending palm and punched Zang Xu’s dantian, sending Zang Xu flying and crashing heavily onto the ground.
However, it wasn’t over. The person flickered and instantly appeared next to Zang Xu, raising a foot and stomping down fiercely. Zang Xu, terrified, scrambled and rolled away, but the person missed their step, creating a large pit in the ground!
Zang Xu’s face was filled with terror. He never imagined that people from the Four Great Sects would arrive so quickly. With the arrival of the Four Great Sects, their plan had failed. He had to escape!
Facing an opponent he couldn’t defeat, Zang Xu had only one thought: escape. But this was the Land of No Law, and he had nowhere to flee, forced to endure the opponent’s overwhelming attack.
At the moment before his death, Zang Xu still didn’t understand why so many complications had arisen when he was merely pursuing a boy who might threaten him. They had prepared for years and were clearly on the verge of victory, yet they had ended up in such a state.
Zang Xu’s Nascent Soul detached from his body, attempting to abandon the chariot to save the general. However, the moment it separated, it was grasped and instantly extinguished. He only managed to let out a miserable cry before his spirit and form were annihilated.
Tian Ji Zi disposed of Zang Xu and then walked towards Ze Fang.
“Tian Ze.”
Ze Fang looked up, his face filled with fear and despair. This was something he had never seen before. Ze Fang was his most accomplished disciple, the youngest Spirit Transformation realm cultivator on Cang Xuan Continent. Although he didn’t know what had happened to cause his cultivation to drop to the Nascent Soul stage, then disappear for over twenty years, and finally return with his cultivation reduced to the Qi Refining stage.
He had been angry and vexed, but after all, he was his most beloved disciple. He also understood that Ze Fang was destined to face a tribulation, and he hoped he could pass through it safely. As the pride of the Tian Ji Sect, Ze Fang had always been stoic, showing no emotion, even to the point of seeming devoid of emotions and desires. But the person before him now was panicked, his face streaked with tears, and his eyes, which should have been as calm as a deep pool, held only endless fear.
“Master, save her!” Ze Fang, like a wounded cub, pleaded with Tian Ji Zi.
“I can save her, but you must return with me immediately,” Tian Ji Zi said unhurriedly. “And until your cultivation is restored to the Spirit Transformation stage, you are not to step foot outside Gong Zhou Mountain.”
“As long as you save her, I’ll agree to anything!”
Tian Ji Zi was silent for a moment. He held Xiao Man, fed her a pill, and used his true energy to heal her wounds. With a cultivation of early Foundation Establishment, to have survived a full-powered palm strike from a Nascent Soul cultivator without being instantly annihilated was a testament to her protective armor. Tian Ji Zi was filled with questions. Even if the woman was related to Tian Ze’s life, Tian Ze’s attitude towards her was too strange, as if he valued her life above all else.
“Even if she survives, her body will require careful recuperation,” Tian Ji Zi looked at Ze Fang. “Do you want to hand her over to…”
“The Seven Sects will take good care of her. Just hand her over to the Seven Sects,” Ze Fang knew he had no power to resist, nor the right to be willful. With his cultivation gone, he couldn’t protect anyone. He had to recover his cultivation as quickly as possible. Only when he became truly powerful could he protect her.
Xiao Man didn’t know how long she had slept. When she opened her eyes, she saw a completely unfamiliar room, filled with a faint medicinal fragrance.
At this moment, Shan Yun came in with a basin of water. Seeing Xiao Man’s eyes open, she was so startled that the copper basin slipped from her hands, spilling water all over the floor and soaking her clothes. She paid no mind and quickly rushed out.
“The boss is awake, the boss is awake!”
Moments later, several more people rushed in, all familiar to Xiao Man. Leading them was Jun Fei’er, followed by Du Niang Zi and Chong Sheng.
Jun Fei’er sat by the bed and felt Xiao Man’s pulse. “Xiao Qin, how are you feeling? Does anything hurt?”
Xiao Man opened her mouth but couldn’t make a sound. Jun Fei’er quickly poured a cup of water and helped Xiao Man sit up to drink it. Only then did Xiao Man feel a little better.
“Where is this place?”
“This is Bai Yao Tang,” Jun Fei’er answered. “You child, you’ve been asleep for three months. We were all frantic.”
“I slept for three months?” Xiao Man was surprised and immediately anxious. “Wu Ji City…”
“Wu Ji City is fine. Thanks to the timely arrival of reinforcements, otherwise, your little life would have been lost in the Land of No Law.” Jun Fei’er still felt a lingering fear.
“The old city lord…”
“The old city lord is fine, and so are the people from the Ba Fang Sword Sect,” Du Niang Zi understood that Xiao Man was worried about others.
“Qi Hong…”
“Qi Hong went to the Lie Yang Sect, Yu Da went to the Cang Lang Sect, and Xi Wen is at the Qian Ji Sect. They are all fine,” Du Niang Zi quickly replied. After the incident in Wu Ji City, they realized how weak they truly were. In the eyes of those supreme powerhouses, they were no different from ants.
Xiao Man looked at Shan Yun. She had promised Sikong Mo to let Shan Yun become her disciple.
“Senior Sikong agreed to take me as a disciple, but I wanted to report to the Ling Snake Sect after you woke up,” Shan Yun said softly. She couldn’t rest assured without personally seeing Xiao Man wake up.
Xiao Man nodded and closed her eyes, but she felt that something was not quite right. Seeing that Xiao Man seemed tired, Jun Fei’er helped her lie down. After all, being heavily injured by a Nascent Soul cultivator, it was already a miracle that she survived.