"This really was a close call." After advancing, Xiang Kuang wasn't in good shape. He kept spitting blood, and his whole body was weak and limp. The powerful aura he'd had just moments ago had vanished completely. Clearly, he'd exhausted everything to survive this calamity and had only been holding on by sheer force.
Now that his strength had ebbed, he was like an eggplant struck by frost.
"This time, I have you to thank, kid."
"This isn't the place to talk. Go rest in the Green Fruit Barrier for a while. Qingcheng will be thrilled to see you," Lu Xiaotian said.
"Really? You've reunited with that girl Qingcheng?" Xiang Kuang's eyes lit up.
"Not just Qingcheng. You'll find plenty of other familiar faces inside. You won't be bored once you're in there."
"Haha, Qingcheng, Xiao Qiao, Jin Yu, Xiang Hua, Luo Ping'er, Wu Gu, Ba Li, and Yu Ya—you're all here!" Xiang Kuang had been so weak that all he wanted was somewhere quiet to recuperate. But seeing so many familiar faces excited him all over again, and eased some of the sorrow he felt over being separated from Pig Seven and Chi Min.
So many people had been scattered for years, and now they'd finally met again. They'd nearly gathered everyone from the original group in the Scarlet Moon Desert. He'd spent all these years adventuring in the Devil Realm, with only Luo Ping'er, Pig Seven, and Chi Min to talk to. Xiang Kuang had always found it rather dull. Now everything would be fine.
"Uncle Kuang!"
"Grandpa Kuang!"
Xiang Qingcheng, Yu Xiaoqiao, Xiang Hua, and the others were all visibly excited to see Xiang Kuang.
"You're all here. Good—this is wonderful." Xiang Kuang took a deep breath, and it took him a while to calm down.
"It