Chapter 557: Saving People
The black evil qi on the Xuanwu Sacred Source was refined by the light emanating from the Cosmic Divine Wood Map, gradually dissipating into nothingness. It became crystal clear and radiant once more.
The surface of the Sacred Source emitted dense sacred qi, which, upon contact with the air, instantly condensed into droplets, releasing a captivating fragrance.
Each droplet was a drop of sacred liquid.
If consumed, such sacred liquid would bring boundless benefits to martial artists in the four mortal realms.
Back in the Demon Ridge, obtaining even a single drop of sacred liquid had been an almost impossible feat for Zhang Ruochen. Now, over a hundred drops floated in the air like nectar, shimmering with starlight.
“The sacred qi released by the Xuanwu Sacred Source can easily condense into so much sacred liquid. Just how immense is the power contained within a Sacred Source?”
Zhang Ruochen waved his sleeve, sweeping up the hundred-plus drops of sacred liquid, gathering them into a fist-sized cyan water sphere, and swallowed it in one gulp.
After consuming over a hundred drops of sacred liquid at once, a series of cracking sounds echoed from his limbs and bones. The true qi he had expended was fully restored in an instant.
Vaguely, Zhang Ruochen felt that his cultivation had also improved somewhat.
“If Senior Sister were to consume the Xuanwu Sacred Source, her body would constantly refine sacred liquid. How much faster would her cultivation speed become?”
When elder saints from sacred clans passed away, they would often pass their Sacred Sources to the next generation of heirs.
However, most sacred clans had more than one heir. To ensure the clan produced a new saint to guard its legacy, the Sacred Source was usually split into two, three, or even more portions, distributed among multiple individuals.
This way, at least one proud son of heaven could reach the saint realm.
If a sacred clan lacked a saint to oversee it, it would rapidly decline, and even its wealth would be carved up by other forces.
Yet, giving birth to a saint was an exceedingly difficult task. A single misstep could lead to a generational gap.
Many sacred clans only produced a new saint after the elder saint had fallen. This was because the new saint would consume a portion of the Sacred Source to break through the final bottleneck.
Thus, when a complete Sacred Source emerged, many sacred clans would vie for it, highlighting its immense value.
The Xuanwu Sacred Source was far more powerful and precious than those of ordinary saints.
If Huang Yanchen could consume the Xuanwu Sacred Source, her status within the Chen Clan would rise significantly, making her one of the core members with a chance to enter the clan’s high-ranking power circles.
Zhang Ruochen glanced toward King Jinhuang but ultimately refrained from opening the inner space of the Cosmic Divine Wood Map in his presence.
Although King Jinhuang owed Zhang Ruochen a favor and knew of his ability to manipulate space and time, the saying “guard against others’ hearts” held true.
Zhang Ruochen had known King Jinhuang for too short a time to fully understand his character. For now, he preferred not to expose the secret of the inner space.
Zhang Ruochen greeted King Jinhuang, then took the Cosmic Divine Wood Map and the Xuanwu Sacred Source, darted forward a thousand miles, plunged back into the seabed, and completely left King Jinhuang’s line of sight before opening the space gate and entering the inner space.
Huang Yanchen lay peacefully beneath the new sapling of the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree. Her sapphire-blue hair spread across the ground, her eyes gently closed, as still as a sleeping beauty.
Fortunately, in the Scroll World, Xiao Hei’s cultivation was formidable. He had drawn upon the wood spirit qi of the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree, continuously channeling it into Huang Yanchen’s body to keep her alive.
“Zhang Ruochen, if you had been an hour later, even this emperor might not have been able to sustain her any longer,” Xiao Hei said.
“Thank you.”
Zhang Ruochen quickly fed the Xuanwu Sacred Source to Huang Yanchen, then sat cross-legged opposite her, took her hands, and held them firmly.
He then mobilized the Buddha qi within his body, channeling it through his palms into Huang Yanchen’s body in an unending stream.
“Whoosh—”
A cyan light pillar surged from Huang Yanchen’s body, like a sword of light piercing through her chest and back.
Following that, dozens more light pillars erupted, centered on the Xuanwu Sacred Source.
The light pillars converged, forming a Xuanwu phantom over ten zhang tall, enveloping her body at the core.
The surrounding air condensed into droplets of sacred liquid—first dozens, then hundreds, then thousands, then tens of thousands…
The sacred liquid fell like rain, completely covering the space around Huang Yanchen.
Huang Yanchen began to automatically absorb the sacred qi from the Xuanwu Sacred Source, circulating it through her meridians according to the *Xuanwu Sacred Scripture*.
“Finally succeeded.”
Zhang Ruochen breathed a sigh of relief, knowing Huang Yanchen had passed the critical danger. He slowly withdrew his hands.
The power of the Buddha Emperor Relic receded like a tide.
In an instant, almost all the strength within Zhang Ruochen’s body vanished.
A wave of weakness, pain, and fatigue surged over him like a flood. His mind grew drowsy, his eyelids heavier and heavier, until they finally closed completely, and he fell forward.
Suddenly, a snow-white jade hand reached out from the side, supporting Zhang Ruochen’s arm. A concerned voice said, “Captain, what’s wrong? Wake up?”
Ao Xinyan had not tended to her own injuries, staying by Zhang Ruochen’s side the entire time, worried he might encounter trouble.
Seeing his face suddenly turn pale, she sensed something was wrong and rushed over to support him.
Xiao Hei padded over on catlike steps, unhurriedly saying, “Girl, no need to worry about him. He’s just severely injured and used the power of the Buddha Emperor Relic, so he’s become very weak.”
Ao Xinyan held Zhang Ruochen in her arms, continuously channeling true qi into his body, and said urgently, “You should know, Captain never faints even from the worst injuries. This shows he’s truly hurt badly. Without true qi to protect his body, what if his injuries worsen?”
Xiao Hei said, “For others, this level of injury might indeed be fatal. But Zhang Ruochen is no ordinary person.”
“With the Divine Marks of the Gods guarding his Qi Sea and the Dragon Pearl protecting his physical body, unless his head is cut off, even the most severe injuries won’t kill him.”
Having triggered the resonance of the gods meant having the protection of the gods, which brought many benefits.
The simplest was that a cultivator’s vitality far exceeded that of ordinary people.
Moreover, Zhang Ruochen had triggered the resonance of the gods four times, making his vitality even stronger. He was not only immune to all poisons but could also heal from many injuries without taking recovery pills.
Earlier, when Zhang Ruochen was invaded by evil qi, it was not a major issue.
Even if King Jinhuang had not intervened, the Divine Marks of the Gods in his Qi Sea would have expelled the evil qi, leaving him unharmed.
Xiao Hei had already walked away but then turned back, looking at Ao Xinyan, who was still holding Zhang Ruochen, and said, “Tsk tsk! Why are you so concerned about him?”
Ao Xinyan was momentarily stunned, then averted her gaze, bit her lip, and said, “Captain… saved my life…”
Xiao Hei wore a knowing expression, chuckled, and said, “Heh heh! Zhang Ruochen is indeed outstanding. This emperor has seen a few women who like him, but Zhang Ruochen has never been moved by any of them—or rather, he suppresses his emotions, forcing himself not to be moved.”
“Some of those women have already left, disappearing from Zhang Ruochen’s side, and it may be hard to see them again.”
“Others remain as friends, staying by his side, still unwilling to give up, but in the end, they only torment themselves.”
“In short, Zhang Ruochen has many secrets. He is definitely not the prince charming you’re looking for. This emperor advises you not to jump into the fire pit, lest you end up alone for life, sorrowful and bitter.”
Ao Xinyan’s eyes showed a hint of panic, and she quickly said, “It’s not what you think. I… I only admire the Captain.”
Three days later, Zhang Ruochen gradually regained consciousness and woke up.
He pushed himself up with his hands on the ground, slowly sitting up. His body still felt somewhat weak, but his injuries had healed considerably, with external wounds almost fully recovered.
Before fainting, he vaguely remembered hearing Ao Xinyan’s voice.
Thus, Zhang Ruochen didn’t think much of it, assuming she had given him healing pills while he was unconscious, which was why he had recovered so quickly.
Zhang Ruochen looked around and saw Ao Xinyan and Orange Moon Star Envoy both healing their injuries, while Huang Yanchen remained enveloped by the Xuanwu phantom, still unconscious.
“Let my injuries stabilize first, then I’ll go out.”
Zhang Ruochen immediately gathered his strength, raised his arms, brought his hands together, and mobilized the true qi in his Qi Sea. Following the operation method of the *Nine Heavens Bright Emperor Scripture*, he circulated the true qi through his body for nine major cycles.
Two hours later, Zhang Ruochen’s fatigue was completely swept away. He was once again full of energy, a sharp light shining in his eyes.
Although his injuries were not fully healed, his strength had recovered to twenty or thirty percent.
Zhang Ruochen left the Scroll World alone.
With a push of his feet on the seabed, his body shot up like an arrow from a bowstring, breaking through the water’s surface with a whoosh.
When Zhang Ruochen returned to the small island, King Jinhuang had already completely expelled the evil qi from his body, appearing dignified and imposing.
King Jinhuang stood with his hands behind his back, wearing a shattered military armor, upright on a black reef, gazing at the Pillar of Sinful Seas standing in the ocean.
Previously, the Pillar of Sinful Seas had been embedded in the seabed tens of thousands of meters deep, which was why it had remained dormant.
King Jinhuang had pulled it out of the Blood Spring Sea Trench, brought it to the shallow sea, and infused a large amount of sacred qi into it, awakening its artifact spirit.
The aura emitted by the Pillar of Sinful Seas had grown increasingly terrifying.
Even with King Jinhuang’s cultivation, he dared not approach it easily, fearing another invasion of evil qi into his body.