Healing

Ning Yuechan stood like a puppet, without saying a word.

Gongsun Zhi seemed to realize something. He glanced around nervously and muttered under his breath, "Lost her soul? Don't tell me it's a Heavenly Demon..."

He took out a small, dark-red array disk and tapped it several times with his fingers.

The array disk showed no reaction at all.

Gongsun Zhi relaxed. He looked at Ning Yuechan, then at Gu Qingshan, and shut his mouth.

Since it wasn't a Heavenly Demon devouring her heart, Ning Yuechan would be fine. This was between Ning Yuechan and Gu Qingshan, and Gongsun Zhi had no intention of getting involved.

Everything had its cause and effect. This time, Gu Qingshan had saved her life—a great karmic debt. Ning Yuechan had to make her own decision; no one else could make it for her.

Gu Qingshan looked at Ning Yuechan, growing a little anxious.

The Demon Army was almost here, and this woman was still standing there in a daze instead of hurrying to heal her injuries.

Once the Demon Army arrived, things would get troublesome even if no other troops came. All it would take was the Faceless Giant catching up.

At that thought, Gu Qingshan could no longer hold back. He grabbed Ning Yuechan's jade-like hand and pressed the Python Demon Gall into her palm.

He shouted, "What are you standing there dazed for? If you don't want to die, hurry up and heal!"

Gongsun Zhi's face twitched. He looked anxiously at Ning Yuechan, ready to speak up.

This kid had actually grabbed Ning Yuechan's hand. Did he really not know what she did to lechers?

Over the years, everyone who dared to do that had been crippled, never able to cultivate again.

Under their gazes, Ning Yuechan finally moved.

She gave Gu Qingshan a long look and said, "Give me half a quarter of an hour. I need to circulate my energy and heal."

Gongsun Zhi raised his brows in surprise.

Since when had Ning Yuechan, the Heavenly Peak Holy Maiden, become so easygoing?

Ah, women really were fickle—harder to understand than an array. Gongsun Zhi silently shook his head.

Gu Qingshan, however, was satisfied. He immediately said, "That's more like it."

That was only natural. She needed to recover her strength before she could fight.

Although he didn't know Ning Yuechan's true strength, in his previous life, she had fought the Five Great Demon Generals for an entire day and night despite having exhausted her ammunition and suffered grave injuries. Her actual combat strength certainly couldn't be lacking.

Ning Yuechan lowered her head and softly began, "Thank you for—"

Before she could finish, Gu Qingshan had already stopped looking at her. Instead, he pulled Gongsun Zhi aside, saying,

"We still have a little time. Senior Gongsun, I've studied military strategy and gained some understanding of it. There are a few things I'd like to ask you about."

This was an array Grand Grandmaster, the Human Race Alliance's General Dingyuan, a renowned figure throughout history.

Historical accounts had even noted that he had died too soon; otherwise, the course of the war might have changed.

Gu Qingshan had been a strategic commander in his previous life, too. Now that he had met Gongsun Zhi, it felt like meeting a worthy opponent, and he had been planning to exchange ideas with him.

Meeting Gu Qingshan's fervent gaze, Gongsun Zhi paused, then said, "All right."

Gu Qingshan immediately asked, "At the beginning of the war, why did you station two battalions of Five Elements Mages on the southwestern high ground?"

"Ah, that question. I think that arrangement has three advantages..."

The two of them soon launched into a discussion.

Ning Yuechan walked over to the Prayer Mat and sat down. After a moment's hesitation, she removed the Silver Armor Mask from her face.

She extended her divine sense, keeping a close watch on the two of them. Yet neither turned around, nor did either release their divine sense to observe her.

Gongsun Zhi was the Dao Madman, renowned throughout the world. He had been obsessed with the Dao of arrays all his life, and hadn't even wanted a Dao companion, saying it would waste too much time.

It was no surprise that Gongsun Zhi could do this, but why wasn't that brat even turning around?

Ning Yuechan ate the Snake Gall in tiny bites. Every now and then, she stole a glance at them, only to see Gu Qingshan earnestly asking Gongsun Zhi about troop deployments and military formations.

Ning Yuechan listened carefully for a while. He wasn't putting on an act—his questions were genuinely profound, and Gongsun Zhi had to think for a long time before answering.

But Gongsun Zhi had also been drawn in. He and Gu Qingshan began discussing a certain tactic.

Gongsun Zhi was proud of his talent and usually looked down on everyone. He wouldn't even give the Sect Leaders of the various sects the time of day. Yet now he was earnestly discussing strategy with this brat. The two of them traded ideas back and forth, growing more and more excited.

That was rare indeed.

Though surprised, Ning Yuechan felt a little vexed.

I'm not even wearing my mask right now.

So many cultivators had been distracted on the battlefield by sneaking glances at her face, making one mistake after another and even losing their lives.

She wore the mask to stop people from looking. Now that she'd taken it off, why wasn't he looking?

Ning Yuechan finished the Python Demon Gall and silently put on her Silver Armor Mask.

She felt a faint, indescribable sense of disappointment well up inside her.

But soon, Ning Yuechan closed her eyes and began healing. Those jumbled thoughts gradually faded away.

Military Camp.

Zhao Liu had dismantled half a small house and stacked the lumber in neat piles.

Winter was coming, and the wood was meant to keep them warm.

Although the camp had few supplies, clean water and seasonings were plentiful.

Quite a few of the Demon Beasts they had killed were still in storage. When Gu Qingshan left, he had taken only enough for some travel rations. Zhao Liu had carefully pickled and preserved the rest.

The array was working well, and Zhao Liu changed the Spirit Stones on schedule, keeping track of the days.

Zhao Liu felt his life was full and peaceful.

As long as the Human Race Alliance organized one or two counterattacks in the days ahead, he would be rescued.

A mere cook-soldier surviving alone in a fallen zone on the front lines—surely that would cause a sensation.

When he finally returned home, such a heroic feat would earn him a grand welcome from the folks in his village.

Then, with his reputation for bravery, he'd find himself a good wife. He'd live the rest of his life in glory.

As Zhao Liu was thinking about this, a deafening crash suddenly sounded outside the camp.

A foot descended from the clouds, shaking the earth.

Then another foot came down.

Before long, the thunderous steps faded into the distance.

Zhao Liu watched the enormous creature recede and suddenly felt that, after seeing it so many times, he'd grown a little braver.

That kid had said it was a monster from the Chaos Seed—the Faceless Giant.

Whatever terrifying monster it was, the Concealment Array kept him safe.

After seeing it so often, Zhao Liu felt the monster wasn't all that impressive.

But strangely, the creature seemed to be showing up more and more often.

As if it were searching for something and still hadn't found it.

Just as Zhao Liu was thinking about this, another rumble came from far away.

The footsteps were drawing near again.

Zhao Liu sighed irritably. He decided that once the footsteps faded this time, he'd go back to the barracks and rest.

After a while, the footsteps stopped again.

Yawning, Zhao Liu started toward the barracks.

He happened to glance at the Military Camp's gate and froze on the spot.

Those enormous, terrifying feet stood motionless right in front of the camp's main gate.

The sky suddenly darkened, plunging the entire camp into shadow.

Zhao Liu looked up and saw a dreadful hand blotting out the sky, descending from above.

The thin barrier of light surrounding the camp flickered faintly, then burst like a bubble before the giant hand.

It was over.

As Zhao Liu watched the terrifying hand draw closer and closer, Gu Qingshan's warning suddenly rang in his ears.

Boundless regret surged through his heart, and Zhao Liu let out a heart-rending wail.

"Don't! Don't eat me!"

Those were Zhao Liu's last words in this world.