# 1099
Chapter 1100: Sustaining Life
Looking at the magnificent palaces in the distance, An Qingyu's heart stirred slightly.
Who among the Great Xia gods lived in those palaces? Was Cao Yuan there too?
The four of them transformed into four streaks of light, crossing the vast Heavenly Court, heading straight for those palaces on the cloud-capped summit.
The howling wind brushed past An Qingyu's ears as he glanced down at the other celestial palaces below. Within the entire Heavenly Court, there weren't many Great Xia gods moving about outside. Even those few who flew through the clouds bore wounds on their bodies, and almost all were heading toward a grand palace on the distant cloud-capped peak.
"What's happening here?" An Qingyu asked, puzzled.
Nezha glanced downward and explained, "The Heavenly Court engaged the Sun God City in direct confrontation. Although we utterly destroyed the Sun God City, our Great Xia gods suffered severe losses. Most deities are now secluded in their own caves recuperating from injuries. Those with critical wounds have sought medicine from Tushita Palace."
An Qingyu nodded thoughtfully.
Nezha led them down, landing before a palace on the left side of the cloud-capped summit. An Qingyu raised his eyes to see three large characters—"Yuanji Hall"—suspended above the palace entrance.
"You may enter," Nezha stated from outside the palace.
An Qingyu acknowledged and stepped inside with the group.
The spacious palace interior echoed with their footsteps, while fireflies danced across the ceiling, illuminating the vast hall. As An Qingyu advanced, he observed their surroundings—towering vermillion pillars supported the roof, but nothing else adorned the space.
"Where is everyone?" Jiang Er hovered in the air, scanning the area with confusion.
"Unknown... this palace seems quite deep. Let's go further in," An Qingyu noted calmly.
"Where's Pangpang?"
Shen Qingzhu, who had been trailing behind, suddenly spoke.
An Qingyu and Jiang Er both froze. They turned to look and realized Baili Pangpang's figure had vanished without a trace.
"He was right behind us when we entered the hall... how did he disappear so suddenly?" Jiang Er recalled, brow furrowing slightly.
At that moment, a voice rang out from the front of the hall:
"Young friends, you've finally arrived."
The three turned their attention forward. An elderly man in white robes, emanating an immortal aura, was walking toward them while holding a拂尘.
Seeing this elder, An Qingyu and the others exchanged glances and bowed:
"May we ask who you are..."
"This old one is Taibai Jinxing." The elder smiled and clasped his hands in greeting.
Taibai Jinxing?
A flicker of doubt crossed An Qingyu's mind.
As one of the five Stellar Lords of the Heavenly Court, Taibai Jinxing's reputation was certainly known to them, but they had never had any interaction with him before. Why had he brought them here?
"So it's the Stellar Lord." An Qingyu spoke politely. "May I ask what important matter prompted the Stellar Lord to summon us?"
"Hehe, three young friends, please follow me."
Taibai Jinxing smiled mysteriously, gently waving his whisk as he led the three deeper into the hall.
An Qingyu and the othersquickly followed.
As they ventured further, a soft azure glow emanated from the depths of the hall—a luminous water sphere, roughly a hundred meters wide, hovering quietly directly beneath the ceiling, rotating slowly like a blue star.
The closer they approached this blue water sphere, the more concentrated the spiritual energy in the air became. By the time they reached its vicinity, faint wisps of spiritual mist were already floating around them.
An Qingyu stopped beneath the water sphere and, through the spiritual mist, looked up curiously.
The moment he saw the sphere clearly, his pupils constricted sharply!
In the center of that pale blue water sphere, a figure with tightly closed eyes floated silently. Black hair drifted in the water, pale skin had no trace of color, no heartbeat, no breathing—it was as if it were a corpse.
It was Lin Qiye.
Not only An Qingyu, but Shen Qingzhu and Jiang Er beside him had also spotted Lin Qiye in the sphere. Their faces changed dramatically.
"Qiye?!" Shen Qingzhu exclaimed in astonishment.
On the Pamir Plateau, Shen Qingzhu had stood on the mountaintop with the other new recruits, witnessing Lin Qiye's battle and death. He also knew that Lin Qiye's body had ultimately been taken by the Heavenly Court, but he never expected to see him here.
"Stellar Lord, is he... how is he?" An Qingyu sensed something and looked at Taibai Jinxing, hope flickering in his eyes.
"Don't worry, friends." Taibai Jinxing spoke unhurriedly. "Although young Lin has lost his heartbeat and breathing, he hasn't truly died. A spark of vitality remains within him. This is thanks to that white-haired mortal who can manipulate time. At the moment of young Lin's near-death, he used his full power to freeze the time within young Lin's body. After the Heavenly Court returned, Yang Erlang carried his body all the way into the Jade Void Palace, kowtowing and begging Yuanshi Tianzun to save him.
Later, Yuanshi Tianzun personally presided, and from the supreme treasures left behind by Lingbao Tianzun in ancient times, retrieved this Primordial Life Spring to sustain young Lin's life."
Hearing this, An Qingyu and the others' eyes brightened rapidly!
Lin Qiye wasn't dead!
Lin Qiye had always been the backbone of this team from the very beginning. His death had cast a pall of gloom over the entire team. Now learning that Lin Qiye was still alive, naturally they were overjoyed, and the suppressed pessimistic emotions vanished completely.
"Then when can he wake up?" Shen Qingzhu couldn't help but ask.
Taibai Jinxing shook his head. "The Primordial Life Spring can only sustain his life, preserving the last breath within his body—it cannot cure him. His potential, soul, and vitality have been completely exhausted. Generally speaking, there is no possibility of recovery. The best outcome is only to remain in the Life Spring, being sustained. Once he leaves this sphere, the last spark of vitality will dissipate, and there truly will be no way to save him."
The three companions' expressions turned grim again.
"Is there really no solution even from the Heavenly Lord?"
"Humanity has its limits, and each art has its specialty—the three Heavenly Lords are not omnipotent either..." Taibai Jinxing said helplessly.
An Qingyu沉思片刻，再度开口："Stellar Lord, besides informing us of Lin Qiye's condition, is there nothing else?"
按理来说，Lin Qiye被Heavenly Court救下性命，确实是一件大事，但对这些Great Xia神明而言，似乎没有必要特意把他们这些凡人带上Heavenly Court，亲自当面说清楚，最多也就是通过Zuo Qing向他们简单地传递一下Lin Qiye没死的消息。
毕竟就连Night Watch总司令Zuo Qing，都没有亲自登上Heavenly Court过……Gods of Great Xia，究竟为什么要邀请他们上界？