Chapter 1052: The Grace of Rebirth
As soon as Huo Rulie and Huo Poyun left, Yun Che struck like lightning, his palm pressing against Huo Ye's heart. As his Desolate God's Power circulated, heaven and earth spiritual energy flowed slowly and carefully into the other's body... like a trickling stream irrigating a dried-up desert.
Huo Ye's physical condition was utterly dire; his remaining life force was nothing more than a faint wisp. The first thing Yun Che had to do was stabilize that final thread of life, but he had to be extremely cautious... It took nearly half an hour before the heaven and earth spiritual energy had slowly spread throughout Huo Ye's entire body.
Then, a faint green light appeared on his left hand, and he pressed a finger against Huo Ye's brow. The purifying power of the Heavenly Poison Pearl also enveloped the man's whole body with the utmost care.
From a medical standpoint, Huo Ye's condition was the most absolute kind of utter depletion. Based on Yun Che's knowledge of healing arts, he could confidently assert that no medicine could cure it, no method could save him. After all, even the dignified Golden Crow Sect Master of the Yan Shen Realm had been left with nothing but despair.
But beyond the realm of medicine, the only power in this world that could save him was Yun Che's.
His completely crippled and extremely withered body could only be revived by heaven and earth spiritual energy.
And the blockages and stagnations throughout his body could not be resolved by medical means, but the ultimate purifying power of the Heavenly Poison Pearl could achieve it!
Another half hour passed as the purifying power of the Heavenly Poison Pearl finally spread over his entire body, difficult but without incident. Yun Che's mind relaxed slightly, and he let out a long sigh, muttering to himself, "You were lucky to run into me... It's also fortunate that you have the Golden Crow bloodline in you, otherwise, even if my Great Dao Pagoda Art had reached the fifth realm, it would have been nearly impossible to save you."
"I hope that after you come back to life, the two realms can put aside their grievances."
The most difficult phase was successfully completed. The flow of heaven and earth spiritual energy and purifying power immediately quickened. The life force within Huo Ye, which had been but a single dying ember, was like a tender sprout watered by the spring breeze and rain, rapidly bursting with vigorous vitality. As the blockages in his body cleared, his blood began to flow slowly, and his meridians, which had been dead for who knew how many years, started to show slight twitching...
One hour, two hours, three hours...
Huo Rulie had been waiting outside the door the entire time, his restless agitation never ceasing for a moment. If not for Huo Poyun repeatedly pulling him back and urging him to calm down, he would have already rushed in regardless of everything.
But the longer the wait, the more a sliver of hope actually began to grow in Huo Rulie's heart... because Yun Che had absolutely no reason to speak idly, and moreover, there was indeed no worse outcome possible.
Finally, after more than three long hours, they heard Yun Che's somewhat weary voice: "Sect Master Huo, please come in."
Huo Rulie moved as if burned, rushing forward and pushing the door open, with Huo Poyun following closely behind.
Huo Ye lay quietly on the stacked profound crystals, just as before, his posture unchanged. The moment Huo Rulie pushed the door open and stepped in, he immediately met Huo Ye's eyes... For an instant, he froze there, because those eyes were no longer the dead gray he had long been familiar with, but instead held a nearly bright, lively luster.
Looking at Huo Rulie, Huo Ye's lips moved slightly, producing a hoarse voice: "Fa...ther."
Though hoarse and weak, it was exceptionally clear. To Huo Rulie's ears, it was like two thunderbolts striking from clear sky. His entire mind went blank, and the world spun before his eyes. His body tilted straight to the side, heavily leaning against the wall. If not for Huo Poyun quickly supporting him, he might have already collapsed to his knees.
"Senior Brother Huo Ye, you..." In Huo Ye's eyes was a luster Huo Poyun had never seen in his entire life. Though his complexion was still deathly pale, it was no longer that dry, unbearable white—it was now covered with a layer of life force that could be clearly felt.
"Junior Brother Poyun..." Huo Ye's voice came out, and a faint smile even slowly spread across his pale face: "I can finally... see you clearly."
It was a long sentence, spoken very slowly and softly, yet every word was distinct. Huo Poyun's lips trembled, but he was too overcome with emotion to speak for a moment.
"Ye'er... Ye'er!"
Huo Rulie's calls were like two sounds from a dream. Staggering and stumbling, he threw himself forward and fell to his knees before the profound crystal where Huo Ye lay. As he drew near, he sensed Huo Ye's life force even more clearly, and was so excited he could hardly believe his own senses. He reached out a hand and carefully pressed it against Huo Ye's body. As he probed, his entire being went blank again, unable to come back to his senses for a long time.
Not only had his vitality suddenly multiplied a hundredfold, he could clearly feel his blood flowing, his internal organs moving... he could even sense the existence of his meridians!
"Father, is your son... really not... dreaming?" Huo Ye asked, but his face held a smile—a genuine smile that Huo Rulie had not seen in a thousand years.
Huo Rulie’s body trembled violently, then one hand shot up and slapped himself hard across the face.
Slap!!
The slap was extraordinarily loud, loud enough to be heard for miles around. With his Divine Sovereign Realm cultivation, Huo Rulie's entire right cheek was flushed red from the impact. He reached up, covering his face, feeling the sharp pain, and tears instantly streamed down. Then, like a child, he burst into loud, wailing sobs.
"It's real... it's actually real... Ye'er..."
Between the crying and the extreme excitement, he couldn't manage a single complete sentence for a long time.
"This is... a miracle." Huo Poyun murmured, then looked at Yun Che, and sighed deeply: "Brother Yun, you are truly... an unparalleled wonder of the ages."
Only now did Huo Rulie finally remember Yun Che's presence. He whipped his head around and saw Yun Che squatting there, looking utterly exhausted, clearly having expended a tremendous amount of energy. He wiped his eyes vigorously, but his voice was still trembling: "Yun boy, you... you... Ye'er... is he really..."
Huo Rulie was so excited he was completely incoherent; he probably didn't even know what he was saying himself. Yun Che cut in directly: "Sect Master Huo, you have already examined him. You can rest assured. Brother Ye has recovered very well. His life is now completely secure. This junior only needs to apply the same method two more times. After that, supplemented by ordinary healing spiritual medicines, Brother Ye will slowly recover, and in no more than two or three years, he will be fully healed."
"Ah..." Huo Rulie’s mouth fell wide open. The stinging pain on his face told him none of this was a dream. But the joy was too immense, too great, that he still felt a surreal sense of being in a dream. His lips parted several times, and he asked almost subconsciously: "Then... then... can he... marry and have children?"
The severance of his bloodline lineage had been the greatest pain of his life.
Yun Che rubbed the tip of his nose and said slowly: "Sect Master Huo might not have heard clearly just now. What this junior said was 'fully healed.' Fully healed! So, of course... that is no problem."
"Heh... heh... heheh... hahaha... heh..." Huo Rulie crouched there, laughing like a madman.
"Master, Senior Brother Huo Ye, this is wonderful! So wonderful!" Huo Poyun rejoiced from the bottom of his heart, tears filling his eyes as well. He was usually the closest to Huo Rulie, and over the years, he had clearly seen the immense pain both Huo Rulie and Huo Ye had been bearing.
If Huo Ye could truly be fully healed, then it would be no less than a rebirth, not just for Huo Ye, but for Huo Rulie as well.
"However... regarding my treatment of Brother Ye, I hope Sect Master Huo can keep it a secret. Otherwise, it might bring trouble." Yun Che said.
Huo Rulie immediately nodded as fast as a chick pecking at rice: "Right! Right, right! Keep it secret, absolutely keep it secret!" In his current state of wild excitement and deep gratitude toward Yun Che—a gratitude he couldn't even begin to express—whatever Yun Che said was law. "If I, Huo Rulie, ever utter a single word of this, may I be struck down by five thunders and nine heavens."
"Brother Yun, rest assured. I, Huo Poyun, will never speak a single word of this." Huo Poyun nodded heavily.
"Additionally, there is some not-so-great news, and Sect Master Huo should be mentally prepared." Yun Che said calmly.
Huo Rulie was startled, and his expression immediately became tense.
"I am confident that Brother Ye's body will fully recover within three years and become as good as a normal person. However, his profound power is... destined to be unrecoverable. Moreover, his profound veins are different from other parts; they have been withered and wasted for too long, and recovery will be extremely slow. Brother Ye will need at least thirty years before he can start rebuilding his profound power."
The moment Yun Che's voice fell, there was a long silence. Huo Rulie's mouth fell open again. But then, instead of regret or disappointment, an even deeper excitement appeared on his face: "You... you mean... Ye'er... he can still rebuild his profound power!?"
"Uh, of course." Yun Che nodded. "Brother Ye's profound veins, though severely injured and withered for a long time, have not had their foundation completely destroyed. This junior has managed to barely awaken them. For anyone else, it would be hopeless, but Brother Ye has the Golden Crow bloodline. And with Sect Master Huo's capabilities, you can easily obtain all kinds of high-level profound crystals. Brother Ye's gradually reviving Golden Crow bloodline, combined with those high-level profound crystals, will ensure his profound veins recover in thirty years."
"...Huff..." Huo Rulie's chest heaved violently. If anyone else had said such a thing, he would never have believed it. But faced with Huo Ye in his current state, he would believe even the most incredible words that came out of Yun Che's mouth. He took a long, deep breath, then threw himself before Huo Ye again, saying with immense excitement: "Ye'er, did you hear that! You will be completely fine, and in just a short thirty years, you can start cultivating profound power again! Did you hear that?"
"!@#$%^..." Yun Che's eye twitched... For people in the God Realm, thirty years seemed to be rather short. I was worried it might be a blow.
Huo Ye opened his mouth and looked at Yun Che: "Brother Yun... the grace of giving me a second life is beyond repayment."
But Yun Che replied: "No need to thank me. Your injuries were caused by my master. For me to go this far still cannot make up for the suffering you have endured these years. I only ask that you... lessen your resentment toward my master."
Huo Ye shook his head gently but firmly: "No, I have never resented your master. Back then, I was young and reckless, utterly unaware of the terror of the Divine Lord Realm. I sneaked close, wanting to see the true form of the ancient flood dragon... Everything was my own fault, and I could never blame your master. I have also advised my father many times, but back then, he had lost all reason... I should be the one to apologize to your master and Senior Bing Yun."
Yun Che: "..."
"That's right, that's right, Ye'er is correct." Huo Rulie nodded repeatedly. "Back then, I was indeed the one who lost all reason and committed a grave error. Ye'er, as long as you recover, don't even mention going to their doorstep to apologize—I wouldn't mind kowtowing eight hundred times to them if needed. Alright, Ye'er, stop talking now and rest well."
"No..." Huo Ye shook his head again, speaking softly: "For so many years... this is the first time I have truly felt... that I am still alive. Let me... enjoy this feeling a little longer..."
That single sentence made Huo Rulie's entire body shake violently. He buried his head deeply, his shoulders trembling, unable to speak for a long time.
"Brother Poyun, let's step outside." Yun Che stood up.
"Very well."