Zhong Shenxiu's complete form Dragon Fighting Warrior began to fade. The deep golden dragon scales disappeared into his skin, the four dragon horns retracted into his skull, the dragon tail retracted into his tailbone, the dragon claws on his fingers and toes returned to normal fingers and toes, and the ridges on his spine flattened out.
His face returned to normal. His angular face and pale gold vertical pupils were gone, no longer scarlet, no longer possessing that primal and violent aura.
He reverted to being that aloof young man.
But the changes weren't completely gone. His physique was more lean and muscular than before the battle, the muscle lines under his skin were more defined, and the aura he exuded was more refined. This was the effect of the Dragon Fighting Warrior's complete form; his body had been further tempered in this battle.
The next moment, the immense mental energy drain from transforming into Dragon Fighting Warrior caused his vision to suddenly go black.
A sudden wave of intense fatigue washed over him, as if someone had stuffed a mountain into his head.
Zhong Shenxiu's vision began to blur, and the golden halo around him turned into a chaotic mess of colors in his eyes. He lost his balance, staggered, and fell forward.
In the instant before he collapsed, he covered his forehead with one hand and used the other to prop himself up with the scabbard of his Light-Imperial Ninja Blade. The scabbard embedded itself in the soil, supporting his body. He knelt on one knee, head bowed, his pale golden vertical pupils half-closed, the light within them flashing intensely.
This feeling of exhaustion is not physical, but rather a mental drain.
The complete form of the Dragon Fighting Warrior requires extremely high Divine Power. With his current level 43 Soul Power cultivation, being able to maintain that form to complete the entire battle is already his limit. Once the tense nerves relax after the battle, the backlash will come like a tidal wave.
Zhong Shenxiu felt as if his brain had been attacked in a battle. It was like fighting the Black Death Dragon's Death-Defying Trial again, with every nerve screaming and every brain cell burning. His temples throbbed, veins bulged on his forehead, and cold sweat trickled down his temples.
His breathing became rapid and erratic, his chest heaving violently. His fingers gripping the scabbard were so tight that his knuckles turned white, and his knuckles made a slight clicking sound.
Ye Xinglan rushed over immediately.
Her reaction was so fast that even she was surprised. The moment she saw Zhong Shenxiu sway, her legs started moving, before her brain even gave the order. She rushed to Zhong Shenxiu's side, squatted down, put one hand on his shoulder, and held his arm that was supporting his sword sheath with the other.
"Hey! What's wrong?"
Ye Xinglan's voice was tinged with obvious nervousness. Her azure eyes carefully examined Zhong Shenxiu's face, noticing his pale complexion, the cold sweat covering his forehead, and his tightly furrowed brows.
Zhong Shenxiu did not answer. His eyes were half-closed, his pupils unfocused, as if he was trying to concentrate but was struggling. His body was trembling slightly, not from the cold, but from the systemic reaction caused by mental exhaustion.
Ye Xinglan bit her lip and tightened her grip. She used her shoulder to brace against Zhong Shenxiu's arm, lifting his body up so he could lean against her.
Can you stand up?
Zhong Shenxiu frowned slightly. He felt the warmth and strength on his shoulder, and his light golden vertical pupils slowly focused as he looked at Ye Xinglan, who was standing close to him.
Ye Xinglan's face was very close to his. Her golden hair fell to the side of her face, her azure eyes were full of worry, and her fair skin was flushed with nervousness. Her eyelashes were long, casting a small fan-shaped shadow under her eyes.
Zhong Shenxiu looked at her for two seconds, then looked away. He tried to stand up, supporting himself with the scabbard, but as soon as his knees straightened, everything went black again, and he fell forward once more.
Ye Xinglan quickly pulled him back. This time, she didn't let go, but instead put his arm on her shoulder and supported him with her petite body.
"Don't push yourself."
Ye Xinglan's tone carried a hint of dissatisfaction, "You're injured like this, it's difficult for you to even move, and you still want to walk by yourself?"
Zhong Shenxiu glanced at her sideways. His eyes were expressionless, but the aggression unique to his Light Gold Vertical Pupils hadn't diminished much even in his tired state. He looked at Ye Xinglan as if he were examining something he didn't quite understand.
Ye Xinglan felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze, but she didn't look away. She raised her chin, her azure eyes staring back at Zhong Shenxiu with a stubborn, unyielding look in them.
That expression was like that of a proud kitten that had been stared at for too long, feeling uneasy but refusing to admit defeat, and could only use a glare to hide its inner panic.
"What are you looking at?"
Ye Xinglan raised her voice slightly, but her tone lacked confidence. "You saved me, what's wrong with me helping you up? It's not like I'm going to eat you."
Zhong Shenxiu's lips twitched slightly, but ultimately no expression formed. He looked away from Ye Xinglan, neither refusing her help nor looking at her again.
Seeing that he did not resist, Ye Xinglan breathed a sigh of relief, but on the surface she still maintained that stubborn expression. She used her strength to support Zhong Shenxiu's body and led him to the side.
She led Zhong Shenxiu to a fallen tree and had him sit down against the trunk. Then she squatted down herself, facing him, her azure eyes carefully examining his wounds.
Your injury...
Ye Xinglan stopped mid-sentence. She looked at the rapidly healing wounds on Zhong Shenxiu's body, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.
Those wounds that were bleeding and oozing just a moment ago are now healing.
It wasn't just ordinary healing; it was shrinking, scabbing, and growing new flesh at a speed visible to the naked eye. The deepest knife wound on his arm had already closed up to the point where the new flesh around the wound was a pale pink.
Ye Xinglan was unaware that this was the self-healing ability of the Indestructible Dragon Body; she was simply shocked. She had seen healing-type Soul Master use Soul Skill to heal wounds, but she had never seen a body heal itself so quickly.
"Your body..." Ye Xinglan hesitated for a moment, unsure how to ask.
Zhong Shenxiu did not answer. He leaned against the tree trunk, closed his eyes, and his breathing gradually calmed down. The fatigue from mental exhaustion would not disappear so quickly, but his body was already adjusting itself.
Seeing that he didn't speak, Ye Xinglan didn't press him further. She sat down next to him, placed the Stargod Sword on her knees, rested her chin on her hands, and looked at him sideways.
Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the tree canopy, falling on Zhong Shenxiu's sharply defined face. His long eyelashes cast a small shadow beneath his eyelids. He had a high, straight nose, slightly pursed lips, and a clean, sharp jawline. Even with his eyes closed, his face still exuded a cold, unapproachable aura.
But Ye Xinglan noticed that when he closed his eyes, the oppressive feeling that made his heart pound disappeared. Without the gaze of those Light Gold Vertical Pupils, he looked like an ordinary boy, a boy who was injured and resting.
Ye Xinglan's gaze lingered on his face for a long time before shifting to the scattered carcasses of the Diamond Baboon around them.
The corpses are changing.
A faint Spirit Power Halo began to emerge from the corpses of each Diamond Baboon. The colors of the auras varied, some were white, some were light blue, and some were light green. They flowed across the surface of the corpses, as if something was being peeled away from them.