Inside Lingtai Square-Inch Mountain.
Ji Yuan did not know how much time had passed before he felt the surging spiritual energy around him gradually subside.
He slowly emerged from cultivation and opened his eyes.
The Cave Abode looked much the same. The stone walls were unchanged, their gray-green surfaces still bearing the same patterns.
Yet staying inside the Cave Abode somehow felt more comfortable.
His mind felt clear and his spirit refreshed.
He was even reluctant to leave.
Then Tu Yue's urgent voice came from the Spirit Vein.
"Master, come quickly."
Ji Yuan knew what it was about.
Dong Qian's body had most likely changed again.
He turned into a streak of light. A green rainbow flashed around the corner of a stone wall, and the next instant he landed beside the Blood Marrow Coffin.
The coffin was still the same, but its once-vivid crimson had dimmed.
It had not faded. Rather, it looked as though someone had drawn out part of its essence from within. The rich crimson layer had thinned, faintly revealing the blood jade's original color beneath.
Dong Qian seemed to look somewhat better.
Her arms, once dry as firewood, had finally filled out a little. The skin stretched tight over her bones had risen slightly, no longer giving her that horrifying, skeletal appearance.
A few strands of black had returned among her withered yellow hair. There were not many, but at least she no longer looked entirely ravaged and lifeless.
Her face remained peaceful, her eyes closed. Her lashes cast faint shadows over her eyelids, as if she were merely asleep and might open her eyes at any moment.
But she did not.
"When the spiritual energy surged just now, Sister Dong's body took the chance to absorb a great deal of it." Tu Yue stood