The Bottom of the Rift
Sang Ying was awakened by the pain, and when she woke up, she found herself at the bottom of a cliff.
The air was thick with the stench of blood. Sang Ying looked up and saw that she was surrounded by the corpses of low-level Devil Beast.
Looking further into the distance, one sees bare mountain walls and barren sandy land.
Is the bottom of the crevice in the cliff really such a desolate place?
Sang Ying's little movements did not escape Gu Shu's notice. Seeing that she was awake, Gu Shu quickly used the Dragon Abyss Sword to float to her side.
Bloodstains remained on the sword, indicating that he had been through a fierce battle while Sang Ying was unconscious.
"You're finally awake!" Gu Shu exclaimed with delight.
Without a word, Sang Ying jumped down into the crevice. Fortunately, he was prepared and used the Dragon Abyss Sword to support her as she slowly descended, preventing Sang Ying from falling.
To everyone's surprise, while there was nothing else in the valley, there were an unexpected abundance of Devil Beast.
Upon seeing Sang Ying, a living, breathing person, they rushed towards her as if she were a delicacy.
Gu Shu swiftly dealt with a large number of low-level Devil Beast, which slightly deterred the higher-level Devil Beast that possessed some intelligence, preventing them from daring to target Sang Ying again.
But he watched helplessly as the Spiritual Qi around Sang Ying slowly dissipated, fearing that she might never wake up again.
Fortunately, she finally woke up.
"Does anything hurt? Can you still move your hands and feet?" Gu Shu couldn't help but feel nervous when he saw that Sang Ying remained silent.
Sang Ying shook her head. Not only could she not move, but even breathing caused a tearing pain in her Dantian abdomen.
After her Spirit Root was repaired, it began to absorb Spiritual Qi almost constantly, and it is still doing so now.
But Sang Ying could clearly feel that her Dantian was like a hole, and no matter how much Spiritual Qi she absorbed, it would all escape through this hole and could not be stored at all.
Cultivation is essentially the process of absorbing and gathering Spiritual Qi, and then transforming it for one's own use.
Gu Huaiwei's actions clearly intended to prevent her from ever cultivating again in this lifetime.
He truly is a wonderful teacher to Su Fuyun!
"Are there many Devil Beast here?" Sang Ying asked after looking around.
The Dragon Abyss Sword swayed up and down. "Indeed, there are a frightening number. I wonder where this tiny crack came from, with its Demonic Qi capable of nurturing so many Devil Beasts."
Devil Beast are different from Devil Creature; the latter are born demons, while the former are products of Demonic Qi corruption.
The strange phenomena at the bottom of the valley likely indicate that there is a being emanating a constant stream of Demonic Qi beneath it.
Thinking of this, Sang Ying immediately tensed up.
Ignoring the pain in her lower Dantian, she struggled to her feet, saying, "We can't stay here any longer. Let's find a safe place first."
At this moment, Sang Ying was extremely grateful that she had hidden her Storage Bag earlier; otherwise, in her current state, she would probably be stuck eating sand at the bottom of the valley.
Seeing that Sang Ying was having difficulty walking, Gu Shu said, "Wait a minute."
After saying that, he flew his longsword to the pile of Devil Beast corpses, and soon a bone with flesh and blood still remaining was kicked by him with the tip of his sword to Sang Ying's feet.
"There are no trees nearby, so you can use this as a walking stick for now!" Gu Shu said.
This Root Bone, from some unknown part of the Devil Beast, was surprisingly straight and sturdy.
Sang Ying was well aware of her current situation. She didn't try to be brave; she simply tore off a piece of her skirt, wiped herself slightly, and then used it to prop up her bones.
"Thank you." If it weren't for Gu Shu by her side, she probably would have died countless times.
Gu Shu brandished his sword, signaling Sang Ying not to be so polite.
The crevice valley stretched long and narrow, flanked by steep, smooth mountain walls. Above, thick, black miasma hung in the air. The further Sang Ying went, the more she understood the harshness of the valley's environment.
On their journey to find lodging, the man and his sword encountered several Devil Beasts. Fortunately, the Dragon Abyss Sword, which Gu Shu possessed, carried the aura of the Dragon Ancestor, and the beasts, having suffered a setback, dared not approach again.
After walking for an unknown amount of time, the Devil Beast that had been as numerous as hairs on a cow suddenly decreased significantly, and they became even fewer as Sang Ying continued to venture deeper into the area.
Gu Shu couldn't help but say happily, "It seems that if we just walk a little further, we'll find a safe place, and we can rest for a while."
Sang Ying remained noncommittal. She turned to look at the Devil Beast that were eyeing her menacingly behind her. They all stopped a short distance away, seemingly terrified of something, not daring to take another step forward.
So, is there something terrifying ahead of us?
Sang Ying's heart tightened involuntarily.
However, compared to the countless Devil Beast behind her, she still decided to explore further ahead, hoping to find a glimmer of hope.
After turning another corner, a small cave entrance appeared in front of Sang Ying.
To their surprise, many plants and trees were miraculously growing near the cave entrance. Although they were ordinary plants without any Spiritual Qi, their ability to grow in such a harsh environment surprised Sang Ying a little.
"Something seems off about this place. Should we stay or leave?" Even Gu Shu could tell something was wrong; the creature hiding in this cave was clearly no ordinary person.
Ahead lay unknown dangers, behind them countless Devil Beasts.
Sang Ying hesitated for only a moment before saying, "Settling down in a horde of Devil Beast is too dangerous. We might as well take a gamble here."
Those low-level Devil Beast wouldn't be intimidated by Gu Shu's aura; they would only keep trying to devour her, this "fat piece of meat." Gu Shu couldn't take care of her every moment, and he would also get tired sometimes.
At that time, they will both be in danger.
Sang Ying can only manage to retain a wisp of Spiritual Qi within her body, and her cultivation level is probably only around the second level of Qi Refinement Refining. She must find a way to heal herself as soon as possible, or at least regain the ability to move independently.
Otherwise, death would be the only thing waiting for her.
Not daring to delay any longer, relying on the meager Spiritual Qi within Sang Ying's body, she opened her Storage Bag and took out a Law Artifact.
This was something she obtained unexpectedly during her training trip.
This is a small wooden cabin, a failed creation of a weapon refiner. But because of its amazing defensive capabilities and low requirement for Spiritual Qi, it was bought by Sang Ying.
Unexpectedly, it came in handy so quickly.
The Law Artifact was activated, and a brand-new wooden house quickly appeared on the sandy ground near the cave.
This small action completely drained all the Spiritual Qi from Sang Ying's body.
Before she could even enter the house, Sang Ying's vision went black, and she fainted again.
"How is it? How is my master?" The sect leader was blocked by Su Fuyun, who was guarding the door, as soon as he stepped out of the room.
The sect leader glanced at her, then waved to the other elders, signaling them to leave first.
After everyone else had left, he sighed to Su Fuyun, "Sang Ying's sword pierced through your master's Dantian. Normally, someone of your master's cultivation level wouldn't be able to harm him with Law Artifact. But I don't know what kind of sword Sang Ying was using; not only did it injure him, but the wound it left won't heal no matter what..."
The sect leader didn't say anything more, but Su Fuyun understood perfectly well.
"Then, is my master crippled?" The last two words were almost squeezed out from between her teeth.
The sect leader didn't answer, but sighed again.
Su Fuyun suddenly grabbed the sect leader's sleeve. "You must save him! You must save him no matter what! Otherwise, I will let everyone know what you have done to the Sang Household!"
Su Fuyun's eyes were filled with madness and malice, even the sect leader was taken aback by her.
But thinking of the missing recording stone, the sect leader could only suppress his temper. "You're not the only one in this world who cares about Huaiwei; I'm his senior brother with whom he has shared many years of friendship! If the Flowing Light Sword Sect can't save him, I will personally send Huaiwei to the Plain Robe Pavilion. Rest assured, I will definitely save Huaiwei no matter what!"
Seeing the sect leader's serious and determined expression, even though Su Fuyun didn't fully believe him, she felt a little more relaxed.
"I hope the sect leader will keep his word!" After saying that, she turned and went into the house, completely unaware of how cold the sect leader's gaze was upon her.