Yu Mi stumbled out of the teleportation array and fell from her flying sword, but fortunately, a nearby disciple who was meditating quickly got up to catch her.
Bao Gu turned around and hugged Yu Mi tightly, exclaiming, “Senior Sister, are you okay?”
Seeing Yu Mi’s face pale without a trace of blood and her heavy breathing, she was immediately frightened, her face turning ashen, and she took out some monkey wine to feed Yu Mi.
Yu Mi weakly replied, “I won’t die. I need to rest and heal.”
A demon saint standing beside Bao Gu, with a small white snake tucked in her robe, looked around the courtyard at the scattered disciples of the Xuantian Sect, some sitting cross-legged to heal, others lying on the ground unconscious.
She took out two small jade bottles and handed them to Bao Gu, saying, “The pills in the white jade bottle are for internal use, and the powder in the green jade bottle is for external application.”
Bao Gu took the two jade bottles from the demon saint.
She poured a pill from the white jade bottle into her palm; the dragon-eye-sized pill shimmered with a spiritual glow, releasing a refreshing fragrance that filled the air.
There were thousands of pills in the white jade bottle, and Bao Gu didn’t dare to take too many.
She poured nearly a hundred pills back into the bottle and distributed them to her fellow disciples nearby who were not too severely injured, instructing them to pass the pills around.
She then divided the external powder from the green jade bottle into several portions for her friends to help treat their fellow disciples.
The demon saint approached a severely injured disciple of the Xuantian Sect, crouched down, and took out a delicate medicine bottle.
She positioned the bottle’s opening near the disciple’s lips and gently tapped it, causing drops of a dew-like substance to roll out and fall into the disciple’s mouth.
Bao Gu fed Yu Mi the healing medicine and wanted to apply the ointment, but noticing several male disciples around, she immediately asked the demon saint if there was a place to separate the male and female disciples for healing.
The demon saint pointed to a side gate and said, “Go over there.”
After thanking the demon saint, Bao Gu carefully carried the severely injured Yu Mi through the gate, discovering a quaint little courtyard with a beautifully crafted swing set and a variety of blooming flowers and medicinal herbs.
She helped Yu Mi to a small pavilion among the flowers, unfastened the tattered clothes clinging to Yu Mi’s skin, and began to apply the medicine.
Yu Mi’s injuries were extensive; some areas were charred, and some bones were shattered, with fragments and blood mixed together, burned into ash.
Many places looked frostbitten, and when Bao Gu gently touched them, chunks of flesh and skin fell away.
Tears streamed down Bao Gu’s face as she felt heartbroken.
She said, “Senior Sister, this will hurt a lot; please bear with it.”
Yu Mi softly replied, “Don’t worry, it doesn’t hurt.”
Bao Gu took out a dagger, intending to remove the necrotic flesh from Yu Mi’s body.
However, as she looked at Yu Mi, who was covered in wounds, she couldn’t bring herself to use the knife on her skin.
Tears blurred Yu Mi’s vision, and she pressed her mouth tightly to stifle her cries.
Yu Mi turned and gently stroked Bao Gu’s head, saying, “Stop crying. My injuries are nothing. Once the new flesh grows, the dead flesh will naturally fall off. It really doesn’t hurt; I was too focused on fighting and didn’t notice how badly I was hurt. I can’t feel the pain anymore.”
Bao Gu cried, “I’m sorry, Senior Sister. I’m so sorry. It’s my fault that the Xuantian Sect faced such a catastrophe. I’m sorry…”
She anticipated casualties, but seeing her senior sister so gravely injured and so many fellow disciples wounded left her feeling lost.
Yu Mi turned to Bao Gu and sighed, “Bao Gu, it’s not your fault. The cultivation world is like this; to move forward, one must fight bloodily. Only the truly strong can survive… For the Xuantian Sect to grow, we can only fight. Because of you, the Xuantian Sect at least has the capital to fight back, rather than helplessly watching our resources and disciples being taken by other sects.”
Seeing Yu Mi struggling to sit up, Bao Gu quickly said, “Senior Sister, stop talking. Focus on healing. I’ll take care of the… removal!”
The demon saint approached Bao Gu and said, “Let me do it!”
She held a small knife as clear as jade and carefully removed the necrotic flesh from Yu Mi’s body, applying ointment meticulously and wrapping the wounds with something resembling lotus leaves.
Bao Gu watched as many areas of her senior sister’s body were stripped down to the tendons connected to the bones.
Trembling, she asked the demon saint through tears, “Saint Aunt, will my senior sister recover?”
The demon saint stood up and replied, “Given her Golden Core cultivator’s physique and with the aid of spiritual pills, she will heal in a few days.”
Bao Gu felt a bit relieved and wiped her tears, asking, “Will this disturb your alchemy?”
The demon saint replied, “Not at all.”
After saying this, she went to help other severely injured disciples.
Seeing Yu Mi sitting cross-legged to heal, Bao Gu knew her senior sister was not in critical condition, so she got up to help at the entrance.
For those with lower cultivation who couldn’t bear the pain, Bao Gu simply poured some high-grade monkey wine into their mouths to make them pass out.
With the demon saint’s assistance, the injuries of the surviving disciples stabilized quickly.
The less severely injured disciples, after treating their wounds and circulating their energy for two cycles, were almost fully recovered.
Even the previously critically injured disciples had their conditions stabilize; although still unconscious, they could instinctively circulate their energy and were gradually recovering.
When Bao Gu saw the demon saint getting ready to leave, she approached her, knelt down, and respectfully bowed three times, saying, “Saint Aunt, I will never forget your help!”
The demon saint helped Bao Gu up and said, “I never interfere in human affairs, but you have shown me kindness with your wine, and you are loyal to Shuer. You are all Shuer’s fellow disciples, so I have no reason not to help you. There is no need to thank me.”
She paused and added, “However, I hope you can take this to heart: if you wish to achieve the Great Dao, you must walk the path of the Great Dao. If the cultivation world continues to self-destruct like this, it will ultimately lead to self-destruction. If you want to cultivate the Great Dao, you must withdraw from this quagmire as soon as possible.”
Bao Gu didn’t quite understand what the demon saint meant, but she thought that the demon saint had lived longer and seen more than her, being an observer outside the chaos, she must have a clearer perspective.
She memorized every word the demon saint said and replied, “Bao Gu has taken note.”
The demon saint stepped through the courtyard gate and disappeared from sight, her voice echoing, “You all stay here to heal. Once the battle of the Xuantian Sect is over, I will send you away. This place has many restrictions, so do not wander around.”
Bao Gu stood in the pavilion, her heart in turmoil.
She had no idea what was happening with the Xuantian Sect now, how her master, the silent ancestor, Master Wei Yang, her teacher, and Master Feng were doing, and she didn’t know if Little Celestial Fox and the Mountain Guardian Granny had escaped danger.
When she was brought into the deep pool by her senior sister, Little Celestial Fox had consumed a large amount of pills and elixirs and had drunk an entire gourd of fourth-grade monkey wine, curling up on the courtyard’s mat to break through to the Golden Core realm!
At that critical moment, if a God Transformation cultivator had struck, it would have been disastrous.
Bao Gu wanted to send Duobao Spirit Monkey out to gather information, but she feared that Duobao Spirit Monkey would cause trouble in the demon saint’s territory and was even more afraid that it would be hunted down by the various forces attacking the Xuantian Sect.
She took out a communication talisman to contact Jade Shura for information, only to find that this place seemed isolated from the outside world, and the talisman was ineffective.
Although there were six God Transformation cultivators in the Xuantian Sect, they had just recently broken through, and in terms of cultivation strength, they were far inferior to those from other forces who had long since reached the God Transformation stage.
Moreover, in such a short time, they couldn’t gather the materials needed to refine powerful God Transformation artifacts.
With their cultivation levels lower than others and their artifacts weaker, what use was there in having a larger number?
Fortunately, the Xuantian Sect still had Nanshan Yijian, the Soul Chasing Pavilion master, and Qingfeng Pavilion to assist them.
With these three present, Bao Gu felt that the Xuantian Sect still had a chance of victory.
Bao Gu had never felt time pass so slowly, or perhaps it wasn’t that time was slow, but that the waiting was too torturous.
She reflected on everything that had happened since entering the cultivation world and the decisions she had made.
She wondered if she would have made different choices had she known the consequences.
She realized she had no other choice; even if given another chance, she would still choose this path.
Bao Gu rubbed her face vigorously, forcing herself to regain her spirits.
She stood up and walked towards the fellow disciples who had already healed and were gathered together, quietly discussing the future of the Xuantian Sect.
When the younger generation of Xuantian Sect disciples saw Bao Gu approaching, they all stood up to look at her.
Bao Gu immediately noticed Feng Menglong, whose eyes were red.
She called out, “Brother Feng, my condolences.”
From the conversation between Feng Menglong and others, she learned that his master, the peak master Shui Yunze, had perished.
Feng Menglong gritted his teeth and shouted angrily, “This grudge must be avenged!”
He covered his face and cried out to the wall, “Master—” in a voice filled with sorrow.
As he cried, the fellow disciples around him also reddened their eyes, and soon, everyone was crying together.
Bao Gu’s eyes also turned red.
She wanted to shout, “Why are you crying? The Xuantian Sect still has us. As long as we are here, there is still hope for the Xuantian Sect to rise again.”
But her master, her grandmaster, and her ancestors were still out there fighting, and she had no idea if Little Celestial Fox and the Mountain Guardian Granny were alive or dead.
Her senior sister was still healing, and she too wanted to cry.
Several times, Bao Gu opened her mouth to stop them from crying, but in the end, she could only stand there, tears streaming down her face.
Knowing that crying would not help, she couldn’t suppress the sorrow in her heart.
Whether her eyes were open or closed, the devastation of Lingyun Peak filled her mind, a scene of scorched earth.
After a long time, everyone stopped crying and fell silent.
No one knew if the Xuantian Sect could survive this calamity, if they could win this battle, or who among the elders still fighting in the Xuantian Sect would survive.
Someone called out, “Bao Gu, you have the most ideas; think of a way to save the sect.”
“Yes, Bao Gu, think of a way to save the Xuantian Sect.”
Bao Gu looked at the fellow disciples surrounding her, who were much taller than her.
In their eyes, she saw sadness, concern, helplessness, and hope.
She said, “The Soul Chasing Pavilion, Nanshan Yijian, and Qingfeng Pavilion have all come to our aid!”
She closed her eyes to steady herself and said, “Victory or defeat is up to the heavens.”
Taking a deep breath, she steadied herself and said, “Everyone, conserve your energy. Regardless of the outcome, we will need to rebuild the sect.”
After saying this, she turned and stepped out of the courtyard to check on the severely injured Nascent Soul elder who had been carried over earlier.
She couldn’t find the elder, but a fellow disciple informed her that the elder’s injuries had healed significantly, and he had returned to the Xuantian Sect.
Some Golden Core cultivators, having recovered a bit, had also asked the demon saint to take them back to the Xuantian Sect.
Remaining here were only the severely injured Golden Core disciples like Yu Mi and some Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment disciples.
After about two or three days, the demon saint arrived at the courtyard where Bao Gu and the others were staying.
She said, “You can return to the Xuantian Sect now.”
The disciples of the Xuantian Sect jumped up excitedly at her words and rushed to the demon saint, asking about the battle’s outcome and whether the Xuantian Sect had won.
The demon saint did not answer but waved her sleeve, moving the teleportation array in front of everyone, saying, “You may go!”
She then said to Bao Gu, “I will come to find you again once the Nirvana Pill is refined.”
Bao Gu responded with a soft “mm” and thanked the demon saint again.
She hesitated slightly and said, “What about my senior sister…”
The demon saint replied, “I will send Yu Mi away once she has healed.”
The remaining severely injured disciples of the Xuantian Sect were either helped or carried back.
Bao Gu cupped her fists in gratitude to the demon saint and stepped into the teleportation array to return to the Xuantian Sect.
As soon as she emerged from the void, she heard her fellow disciples excitedly shouting, “Sect Master…”
and then saw her fellow disciples kneeling on the ground.
She saw her grandmaster still alive and standing in front of her, his eyes also moist, smiling through tears, calling out, “Grandmaster!”
The Xuantian Sect had survived!
Even though all the buildings were destroyed and the mountains had turned to ruins, as long as the sect master was still here, the Xuantian Sect was still standing!
Zi Tianjun helped each of the kneeling disciples up, saying, “Get up!”
He walked to Bao Gu and said, “Bao Gu, your master…”
Bao Gu’s heart jolted, and an ominous premonition arose within her.
She asked, “Grandmaster, what happened to my master?”
Zi Tianjun closed his eyes in pain and said, his voice choked, “He perished together with the head of the Sima family.”
Bao Gu stood there in shock, feeling as if the world had turned gray.
After a while, she choked out, “My master is gone?”
She then asked, “What about Ling’er and the Mountain Guardian Granny? Are they still alive?”
A childish voice rang out, “Bao Gu.”
Bao Gu turned around excitedly to see Ling’er, who had transformed into a seven or eight-year-old girl, standing unharmed behind her.
She rushed to Ling’er and called out, “What about the Mountain Guardian Granny? Is she okay?”
Ling’er shook her head and said, “Granny’s cave is beneath the earth’s veins. After the protective array was damaged, she took us to her cave, and we are all fine.”
She felt guilty, sensing that the situation outside was dire, so she and Granny had hidden away.
Bao Gu hugged Ling’er and said, “It’s good that you’re okay.”
Thinking of her master, her eyes turned red again, and tears rolled down her cheeks.
Disciples from various peaks rushed over, and upon seeing that the younger generation of disciples were still alive, they were filled with emotion.
The young disciples who had escaped disaster under the demon saint’s protection were overwhelmed with excitement after such a long period of anxiety and fear, and many were crying in each other’s arms.
In Bao Gu’s heart, there was only a sense of the aftermath’s devastation.
She knew that the Xuantian Sect was not populous, but when all the members gathered, she could hardly stand.
Aside from the thirty or so disciples protected by the demon saint, fewer than ten remained alive to face the enemy!
Master Wei Yang was gone, the silent ancestor was gone, her master was gone, Master Chen was gone, Master Fan from Zhuoyun Peak was gone, Master Zhu from Shuiyun Peak, Elder Mingxiu was gone…
Among those she knew, so many had perished, not to mention many elders from the sect whose names she couldn’t recall…
With gritted teeth and tears in her eyes, Bao Gu angrily asked, “Grandmaster, what about the Ning family, the Sima family, the Immortal Gate, and the Beast Taming Valley forces that attacked the Xuantian Sect? I want them to pay in blood for their debts!”
Feng Yi replied, “Not a single one survived; they were all wiped out at the Xuantian Sect. Senior Nanshan took action; he fought with them for two days and nights, and during the battle, he had a breakthrough to the Void Tearing realm. His advancement attracted heavenly lightning, and he charged at the four major forces with the lightning. Wherever he went, anyone caught in the lightning was turned to ash, even the Immortal sect’s treasured artifact, the Qiankun Fan, was destroyed in the lightning…”
The master of the Soul Chasing Pavilion personally led over twenty Nascent Soul elders and more than a thousand disciples to support, and they were cutting off heads as if they were slicing watermelons…
Qingfeng Pavilion mobilized all their forces… nearly two thousand cultivators from the four major families of the Xuan Yue Ancient City were wiped out.
Bao Gu wiped her tears and asked, “What about Senior Nanshan?”
Feng Yi replied, “He returned to the old site of Lingyun Peak. He said he has a hundred-year agreement with you, and he will continue to honor it.”
He patted Bao Gu’s back and said, “Cheer up! We are still waiting for you to fund the reconstruction of the Xuantian Sect!”
Suddenly, as if remembering something, he exclaimed, “Oh, the master of the Soul Chasing Pavilion said that there were too many heads taken this time, and he would come to settle the accounts with you after returning.”
Bao Gu responded with a soft “mm” and asked, “Master Feng, after the four major forces attacked the Xuantian Sect and died, did anyone go to clean up the treasures and storage bags they left behind?”
Feng Yi replied, “Qingfeng Pavilion is responsible for cleaning the battlefield and has collected all the spoils, saying it is the reward for their assistance this time. How did you manage to get the master of the Soul Chasing Pavilion to help so much?”
Bao Gu said, “Five high-grade spirit stones for a Golden Core head, five hundred high-grade spirit stones for a Nascent Soul head, and as for the God Transformation heads, that’s a different price!”
As soon as she said this, there was a sudden silence around her.
The only remaining Nascent Soul elder let out a howl, “Bao Gu, where will you get so many spirit stones? You aren’t thinking of selling the Supreme Monkey Wine again, are you?”
He sat down on the ground, pounding it and crying, “The Xuantian Sect has suffered such a disaster and needs to be rebuilt; how can we come up with so many spirit stones…”
“Elder Niu, get up! This doesn’t look good!”
Someone among the disciples hurried to pull him up.
“I won’t get up! I’m just a cowherd; what do I have to be ashamed of? Oh no, how am I going to repay this debt…”
Bao Gu stared blankly at Elder Niu, who was rolling on the ground, speechless and on the verge of tears.
Now, the Xuantian Sect had only this one Nascent Soul cultivator left, and among the God Transformation cultivators, there were only her grandmaster and Master Feng remaining.
The elder sitting on the ground, throwing a tantrum, had unexpectedly become the third strongest expert of the Xuantian Sect…
Bao Gu thought of her master, Zhuo Wangchuan, who, although not very responsible and quite lazy, was still somewhat wise and protective of her and her sisters, having taught her rigorously about dealing with people…
She had thought she would despise her master, but she never expected his image to be so grand in her heart.
She knew it was dangerous, but she never imagined that her formidable master would die…
Bao Gu wanted to return to Lingyun Peak, but when she looked up, all she saw was scorched earth; even the peaks had been flattened, and she couldn’t find the original appearance of anything.
She couldn’t even locate where Lingyun Peak was.
As she gazed into the distance, she suddenly spotted a mountain standing there, lush and green—was that the Bamboo Forest Forbidden Area?
The site of Lingyun Peak, guarded by Nanshan Yijian, was still there?
Realizing this, Bao Gu summoned her flying sword and rushed towards the Bamboo Forest Forbidden Area.
