Recovering from His Injuries

Ancient Realm, deep within the Pill Hall.

The rich medicinal fragrance had nearly become tangible, refreshing the mind and heart, yet it still could not entirely mask the weakness and turbulence radiating from the figures seated cross-legged.

Gu Yuan personally brought over the Ancient Clan's finest treasured healing pills—the Ninth-Grade Treasure Pill, the Life-Cycle Reincarnation Pill—as well as several medicinal salves highly beneficial to magical beasts' bodies.

The pills melted as soon as they entered their mouths. Their vast, oceanic medicinal power swiftly spread through every limb and bone, temporarily suppressing the agonizing pain that had nearly torn apart their souls and meridians and stabilizing their injuries, which had been on the verge of collapsing completely.

The cracks on Lin Hai and the four beasts—Heaven-Burning Crocodile, Blazing Earth Lizard, and Flowing Fire Sky Owl—visibly drew together a little. Their auras remained feeble, but they no longer flickered like candles in the wind.

"Thank you, Brother Gu Yuan." Lin Hai slowly opened his eyes. His face was still pale, but some light had returned to his gaze. "Though the medicinal energy here is abundant, this isn't the best place for me to recuperate. I need to return to Wutan City and recover in seclusion."

Gu Yuan gave a slight nod. He didn't insist on keeping him. He understood that everyone had their own secrets and habits.

"Since that's the case, take care, Brother Lin Hai. If you need anything, the Ancient Clan will be ready to help."

"If anything happens, I'll send word." Lin Hai said no more and struggled to his feet. The four beasts let out low growls and struggled up as well. The gleam of their crystal armor and fur had dimmed considerably.

Lin Hai swept his sleeve, and a spatial rift slowly tore open.

In his current condition, traveling a long distance through space was quite difficult, but he could still manage to return to the Gama Empire.

He stepped through with the four beasts, and the spatial rift slowly closed behind them.

Wutan City, Xiao Clan.

In a secluded courtyard, space rippled faintly. A rift abruptly appeared, and Lin Hai stumbled out, accompanied by four enormous beasts with fierce auras and unmistakable injuries.

The commotion immediately alerted two people deep within the Xiao Clan.

"Who is it?!" A sharp cry rang out. Xiao Yan, dressed in black fitted clothes, shot out like lightning, his gaze keen. The moment he recognized the newcomer, he froze. "Uncle?!"

Almost at the same time, Yao Chen's soul form drifted out. When he sensed the terrifying residual fluctuations of the injuries on Lin Hai and the four magical beasts—fluctuations that remained shocking despite their best efforts to suppress them—the old man's face instantly filled with incredulous shock!

"Saint Venerable Lin Hai! What happened to you?!" Yao Chen's voice trembled.

He couldn't imagine what kind of terrifying enemy could have left someone as powerful as Lin Hai, together with four ferocious beasts comparable to high-ranked Holy Spirits, in such a sorry state!

The trace of cold, deathly stillness and soul pressure lingering in the air made his soul tremble to its depths.

Lin Hai waved a hand, signaling for the four beasts to find places to lie down and rest. They immediately curled up, drawing in the energy of heaven and earth as they silently licked their wounds. They had clearly reached their limit, too.

"It's nothing. We had a fight with the Soul Clan." Lin Hai's voice was distinctly weary, his answer terse.

"The Soul Clan?!" Yao Chen and Xiao Yan cried out at the same time, their expressions changing drastically.

Yao Chen, especially, knew better than anyone just how terrifying the Soul Clan could be.

"Uncle, you..." Xiao Yan looked at Lin Hai's pale face, then at the four enormous beasts covered in wounds. A tempest surged through his heart.

Lin Hai found a blue stone and sat down. After catching his breath, he continued, "The Soul Clan made a major move. We joined forces with the Ancient Clan and others to fight them. That fellow Hun Tiandi was every bit as troublesome as they say."

His offhand remark sent shockwaves through Yao Chen's heart.

"How did it end?" Yao Chen asked urgently, his voice hoarse.

"Both sides suffered heavy losses." Lin Hai replied calmly. "I sealed the Void Devouring Flame, and we badly wounded Hun Tiandi. He only escaped by detonating the reserves he had stored in the Emperor Soul Banner. Their losses weren't much lighter than ours. Don't worry. This battle has dealt the Soul Clan a crippling blow. They won't recover for three to five years, and they won't have the energy to cause us trouble."

Yao Chen let out a long breath of relief, though the shock in his eyes did not diminish in the slightest.

Sealed the Void Devouring Flame? Badly wounded Hun Tiandi? Forced him to detonate the Emperor Soul Banner's source?

Any one of those feats would have shaken the entire continent!

He looked at Lin Hai with indescribably complex emotions: gratitude, awe, and, more than anything, a sense of security he had never felt before.

With such a powerful ally, fighting the Soul Clan no longer seemed like an unattainable dream.

"Wonderful... Just wonderful..." Yao Chen murmured, his soul form rippling faintly with excitement.

Xiao Yan was equally stirred by what he had heard, gazing at Lin Hai with fervent admiration. This was what a true peak expert looked like!

"All right. I'll need some time to recuperate." Lin Hai cut off their thoughts. "For now, I'm leaving Wutan City and the Xiao Clan in your hands. Unless it's a matter of life and death, don't disturb me."

"Don't worry, Uncle! No one in the Xiao Clan will disturb your recovery!" Xiao Yan immediately cupped his fists and gave his solemn assurance.

Yao Chen nodded firmly as well. "Focus on healing. Leave everything to us."

Lin Hai nodded and said no more. He rose and headed for the secret chamber already prepared in the deepest part of the rear courtyard. The four beasts struggled to follow. They, too, needed an absolutely safe place to recover.

The secret chamber's stone door slowly descended, sealing off the inside from the outside.

Yao Chen and Xiao Yan stood outside the stone door in silence for a long time, their hearts still churning.

They, too, had to make the most of these three to five years while the Soul Clan lay low and raise their strength as quickly as possible!