Xu Yanli looked at the hand extended toward him and smiled faintly. He reached out and gripped it tightly, using the leverage to get to his feet. As he stood, his body swayed slightly, and Long Xiaoyao hurriedly reached out to steady him.
"Can you hold up?"
"I'm fine."
He brushed the dust from his robe, bent down to pick up the Jade Fan that had fallen beside his waist, and tucked it away again.
Turning, he took one last glance at the Ferocious Beast's remains, which were already beyond recognition, then let out a soft breath.
"Come on. Let's see how the wedding preparations are going."
They leaped into the air and flew toward Ming Capital.
The night wind howled, whipping their robes about. Xu Yanli flew ahead at a decent speed, but Long Xiaoyao kept up with ease, even finding time to study his expression.
His face looked a little pale, but his eyes were bright. He didn't look like he was forcing himself to keep going at all.
"Did you absorb the whole essence of that Evil Eye?" Long Xiaoyao asked.
"Mm." Xu Yanli nodded. "My seventh, eighth, and ninth Soul Rings were all filled at once, and I even got an External Soul Bone. It's from the eye area, too."
Long Xiaoyao's brows lifted slightly beneath his mask.
An External Soul Bone from the eye area had formed from the very core essence of the Evil Eye Tyrant Lord. It was also a supreme vessel for spiritual power. With this thing, Xu Yanli's already terrifying spiritual power was sure to surge another level.
"Worth it." Long Xiaoyao said only those two words.
Xu Yanli smiled but didn't reply.
They flew eastward. Below them, the land shifted from endless mountain ranges to scattered farmland, then from fields