Chapter 487: Dragon Pearl Healing
Zhang Ruochen stared deeply at Orange Moon Star Envoy, furrowed his brows, and said, "Are you really not going to kill her?"
"This woman possesses the Innate Yin Moon Body, capable of gathering the essence of the moon to enhance her cultivation and refine her physique. As she absorbs more and more lunar essence, her constitution might even surpass a Sacred Body—her potential is truly boundless. Killing her would be a pity," Xiao Hei said.
Xiao Hei had already released Orange Moon Star Envoy, allowing her to move freely, but he had used a secret technique to seal all the meridians in her body.
Thus, Orange Moon Star Envoy could not mobilize any true qi at all. Aside from having a slightly stronger physical body, she was no different from an ordinary person.
Even if she wanted to escape, she couldn't.
Zhang Ruochen held no goodwill toward Orange Moon Star Envoy. "Her talent is indeed remarkable, but she's not on the same path as us. Keeping her around is ultimately a threat."
Zhang Ruochen walked over to Orange Moon Star Envoy and grabbed her wrist.
"Zhang Ruochen, what are you doing?"
Orange Moon Star Envoy gritted her snow-white teeth and spoke coldly.
She struggled fiercely, trying to resist. But without being able to circulate true qi, how could she possibly be a match for Zhang Ruochen?
Zhang Ruochen removed the bracelet from Orange Moon Star Envoy's wrist and then let go of her hand.
"So this is the Dragon Locking Chain."
Suddenly, the bracelet emitted a crimson radiance, flew out of Zhang Ruochen's hand, and hovered in midair, producing a "clattering" sound. It quickly transformed into a massive iron chain, a hundred zhang long and as thick as a water barrel, resembling a furious steel dragon.
The Dragon Locking Chain possessed an artifact spirit, and that spirit had already acknowledged Orange Moon Star Envoy as its master.
Under the control of the artifact spirit, the Dragon Locking Chain launched an attack on its own, whipping through the air like a thick iron lash, striking at Zhang Ruochen.
"What a fine ancient sacred artifact—its artifact spirit is this powerful as well."
A look of admiration appeared in Zhang Ruochen's eyes. He immediately soared into the air, spreading his hands to grab the Dragon Locking Chain.
From the palms of both hands, rolling flames surged forth, beginning to refine the Dragon Locking Chain.
Although both the Dragon Locking Chain and the Dragon Pattern Emerald Water Sword were hundred-mark sacred artifacts, the Dragon Locking Chain was an ancient sacred artifact with a history of over ten thousand years.
Thus, the artifact spirit of the Dragon Locking Chain possessed far greater intelligence than that of the Dragon Pattern Emerald Water Sword.
Only by refining the Dragon Locking Chain anew could he truly gain control over it.
Under the refining flames, the Dragon Locking Chain gradually calmed down like a tamed wild horse, reverting to a crimson bracelet that coiled around Zhang Ruochen's wrist.
Seeing this, Orange Moon Star Envoy gnashed her teeth in hatred. "Zhang Ruochen, how dare you steal my Dragon Locking Chain! If my master learns of this, he will surely take your life."
Zhang Ruochen paid no heed to Orange Moon Star Envoy's threat. He walked over to Ao Xinyan, took out the Dragon Pattern Emerald Water Sword, and returned it to her.
Ao Xinyan accepted the sword with both hands, gently lowering her head, and said softly, "Thank you, Leader."
For some reason, Ao Xinyan found herself unable to meet Zhang Ruochen's gaze. She could only lower her head to avoid his eyes.
Zhang Ruochen said, "You're badly injured. Why haven't you recovered yet? Have you taken any healing pills?"
Ao Xinyan shook her head, a hint of sorrow in her voice, as if she were about to cry. "That punch from Pei Ji shattered most of the meridians in my body, and even my five viscera and six bowels are severely damaged. I'm afraid I won't be able to recover."
Zhang Ruochen frowned. He pressed his hand against Ao Xinyan's wrist and channeled a stream of true qi into her body.
The true qi circulated through her entire body once before retracting, flowing back into Zhang Ruochen's palm.
Zhang Ruochen withdrew his hand. "You're injured this severely—almost half-crippled. Only if a Saint and a master alchemist work together to treat you could the meridians be reconnected and you fully recover. But right now, we're in the Wood Spirit Ruins Realm, and it'll be a while before we can return. By the time we get back, your meridians will have already solidified, making reconnection impossible."
Ao Xinyan's internal injuries were extremely severe, and without being able to use true qi to nurture herself, they would worsen quickly. It was already a miracle that she had held on this long.
If too much time passed, her meridians would inevitably solidify. Even if her injuries healed, her martial path would be greatly affected. For a top-tier genius, this would be equivalent to losing all hope of treading the sacred path.
Without hope, what was the point of living?
Xiao Hei walked over. "Zhang Ruochen, you're the only one who can save her now."
"What do you mean?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
Xiao Hei said, "She has a half-dragon constitution, possessing both human bloodline and dragon bloodline. If she can absorb enough sacred dragon qi, not only will her injuries heal, but she might even transform into a true dragon body."
Zhang Ruochen pondered for a moment. "You're referring to Senior Golden Dragon's dragon pearl? Using the dragon pearl can save her?"
Xiao Hei nodded.
Zhang Ruochen moved behind Ao Xinyan, placed his palm on her back, and began to mobilize the sacred dragon qi from the dragon pearl.
The golden dragon pearl spun rapidly within his heart.
Strands of golden dragon qi seeped out, traveling through his meridians to his palm and surging into Ao Xinyan's body.
With a "wah," Ao Xinyan spat out a mouthful of blood, and her injuries worsened instead.
Zhang Ruochen quickly withdrew his hand and steadied her. "No good. Her meridians are completely severed; she can't withstand the impact of such powerful dragon qi. Forcibly channeling dragon qi into her body will only make her injuries worse."
Xiao Hei said, "There are only two ways now. First, she directly swallows the dragon pearl, letting her body automatically absorb the dragon qi from it. Once her injuries heal, she can return the dragon pearl to you."
Zhang Ruochen shook his head. "The dragon pearl is inside my heart. I can only release it when my cultivation reaches the Fish-Dragon Realm. Otherwise, I'd have to cut open my heart to take it out."
"Then there's only the second method, though it's a bit more troublesome."
Xiao Hei continued, "Both of you have human qi and dragon qi in your bodies. If you can mutually breathe and exhale, forming a cycle, you can also transfer the dragon qi into her body."
A flush of red appeared on Ao Xinyan's face, and she looked somewhat shy. "That doesn't seem appropriate, does it?"
"If you want to become a cripple, you can also give up on treatment," Xiao Hei said.
Ao Xinyan gently bit her lip and stole a glance at Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen, however, remained very calm as he looked at Ao Xinyan. "If you feel it's too much of a loss, you don't have to rush into treatment. We can think of other ways. The Wood Spirit Ruins Realm has patrols from the Ministry of War. Maybe we don't have to wait for the Myriad Realm Tavern's ship to return to the Chaotic Myriad Realm Mountain. If we can get back, the Holy Academy's resources can certainly find another way to heal you."
"We're stowaways. If we go to the Ministry of War's patrols, we'll definitely be locked up. Who knows how long it'll take to return to the Holy Academy? By then, I might have already died from my injuries."
Ao Xinyan pursed her lips, then lifted her head, her bright eyes fixed on Zhang Ruochen. "Leader, you've saved me three times already. You can save me this time too, right?"
Zhang Ruochen glanced at Xiao Hei.
Xiao Hei said, "If you want to save her, this is the only way. Of course, we could also ignore her and go find the Wood Spirit Ruins Realm's origin qi right now. After all, she is a troublemaker—if it weren't for her, we might have found the origin qi by now."
Since he had already saved her so many times, there was no reason to let her die now.
"Then let's begin," Zhang Ruochen said.
The sun was setting in the west, the sky growing dimmer, and the air turning colder.
From Zhang Ruochen's pores, wisps of cyan true qi emanated, converging into a massive spherical qi shield. Ao Xinyan's body was lifted by the true qi, floating like a fallen leaf within the shield.
Zhang Ruochen grabbed Ao Xinyan's hands, pressing their palms together completely.
Zhang Ruochen glanced at Ao Xinyan's face. He had to admit, her features were exceptionally beautiful—delicate and refined, with long eyebrows, a small, straight nose, and especially those two red lips, crystal clear and as bright as gems.
Just one look made one want to kiss her.
If he could steal a kiss, even if he were to die immediately afterward, many men would undoubtedly rush forward without hesitation to embrace and kiss her.
Zhang Ruochen closed his eyes, clearing the distracting thoughts from his mind, and worked to steady his emotions.
Then, he lowered his head and pressed his lips against Ao Xinyan's.
The next moment, their lips gradually pressed together.
"Mmm..."
Ao Xinyan's entire body spasmed, and her fingers involuntarily tightened as she trembled all over.
Gradually, their qi interlinked, forming a cycle.
Ao Xinyan's body began to automatically absorb the dragon qi that Zhang Ruochen exhaled.
Nourished by the dragon qi, Ao Xinyan's damaged five viscera and six bowels rapidly recovered.