Chapter 2868: A Brief Respite, Then Back to Battle

He Lingchuan opened his eyes and looked at the little stone figure: "Are you alright?"

As far as he knew, after several consecutive fierce battles, the Earth Mother's own health bar was nearly depleted.

The Earth Mother snorted: "It's not like I'm missing this bit. Open your mouth!"

He Lingchuan obeyed and opened his mouth; the little stone figure jumped onto the stone beside him and placed a green lotus seed into his mouth.

This lotus seed was as clear as amber, with a viscous fluid flowing inside like imperial nectar, and its surface radiated lush light, far surpassing the finest jade in the mortal world.

This was the fruit borne of the Wind-Dew Golden Lotus; the Earth Mother forcibly infused her own life force into it and gave it to He Lingchuan. This was akin to the immortality elixir case He Lingchuan had previously investigated, where the subordinates of the Qingyang State Preceptor similarly extracted the life force of monsters to create elixir fluids and blood pearls.

The situation was urgent, so He Lingchuan merely said a word of thanks before closing his eyes to regulate his breath.

In terms of combat techniques and methods, Bai Zhan Tian could drag the Earth Mother down several streets, but when it came to the purity of power and the strength of life force, even Bai Zhan Tian, such a great heavenly demon, could hardly be compared to an ancient existence.

After just a few dozen breaths, the little stone figure saw He Lingchuan's body emanate a layer of green light, sweat bursting on his forehead, and his veins throbbing violently.

At the same time, his right arm also trembled.

The immense life force contained in the golden lotus fruit was helping him reconnect his broken bones. Although this was a good thing, for He Lingchuan at this moment it was excruciatingly painful. As the saying goes, injured tendons and bones take a hundred days to heal, and his was a complete shattering of the entire arm.

Three months of pain condensed into a few dozen breaths—how intense must that concentration be?

All bone fragments had to re-cut through flesh and blood, return to their original positions, and reconnect—what difference was there from death by a thousand cuts?

He could not use anesthetic, because he had to lead the realignment of the shattered bones.

He Lingchuan had fought countless fierce battles and suffered many severe injuries, but none of the pains of healing his wounds had ever come close to even one-tenth of what he was enduring now.

Once, when medicine ran out, A Luo grabbed a needle and thread and directly sutured his intestines; He Lingchuan thought that was the limit of extreme punishment.

But he was wrong—hell still had eighteen levels.

Every breath was agonizing, whether in spirit or body.

At the same time, a green light coiled around his shoulder, gradually squeezing out the power of annihilation.

The power of annihilation was like black maggots, still wriggling and desperately trying to burrow into the wound, but under the incessant cleansing of the green light, it was still temporarily defeated.

Once they fell to the ground, they turned into nothingness, vanishing in an instant.

After the power of annihilation yielded the ground, wounds all over He Lingchuan's body began to generate flesh and blood, recovering at a speed visible to the naked eye!

The Bell Dragon Battle Armor had long since fully healed.

Correct, heavenly laws do not allow injuries to be transferred to different independent entities, but they do not prohibit the transfer of life force. This is like how a patient cannot transfer their illness to others, but can accept intravenous fluids and blood transfusions.

The Soul-Capturing Mirror laughed until it couldn't close its mouth: "The Earth Mother is truly reliable!"

The Blood Demon, however, asked the little stone figure: "Is your life force also running low?"

"Still okay." The little stone figure spoke in a muffled tone, "I won't die."

Given its profound reserves, saying those three words "I won't die" truly surprised the Soul-Capturing Mirror, but after a moment's thought—yes, in today's Plains of the Dragon Battle, those who gave their all were not only the Cangyan people, but also the Earth Mother!

Originally, it came to trap the dragon in the moat because, after decades of wandering abroad, exhausted in body and mind, it wanted to return home to rest and recuperate. Its condition upon arrival was not at its peak, and after only a brief sleep in the Dragon-Trapping Moat, it was tricked by the Goddess of Illusory Music into breaking its own dream and leaping into the opponent's divine realm.

Then, relying on brute strength, it broke through the Purple Flower Illusory Dream, and fought alongside He Lingchuan against the Sea Emperor Xuan Du, Bai Zhan Tian, and Tong Ming True Lord. He Lingchuan's consumption was immense, and the Earth Mother did not fall short.

Furthermore, do not forget: whether its soul was present or not, the Earth Mother's plains have always faithfully resisted foreign invasions, aiding the Cangyan people in resisting the great heavenly demons both inside and outside the Secret Realm. These consumptions must likewise be recorded on the Earth Mother's account—not a single bit will be omitted.

Now, it has again drawn upon its own life force to give to He Lingchuan to heal his wounds. Is Bai Zhan Tian's annihilation power really so easy to dispel? If not for a massive expenditure of life force in one go, this thing would not budge at all!

After all these deductions, even the Earth Mother, with its broad health bar, could not withstand it.

After all, it is still a living being, and its life force has its limits—it cannot endure endless consumption.

The Soul-Capturing Mirror then quietly said to the Blood Demon:

"Hey, do you think we can defeat Jia Luo Tian today?"

The Blood Demon pondered for a few breaths before replying: "I don't want to dampen others' morale."

The Soul-Capturing Mirror choked: "You have so little confidence in the Emperor?"

Ah, so it's not just you who feels the future is bleak?

The Blood Demon fell silent. It simply did not know what their side could use to win.

In terms of strength, heavenly demons far surpass the Cangyan people on the plains—even if the Emperor and Earth Mother are added. Jia Luo Tian is now carrying out a great slaughter in the Secret Realm, while the Emperor is forced to contend here, racing against time to heal his wounds.

Alas, that is the second-ranked true god of the heavenly character—during ancient times, he was also a great slaughterer in the mortal world, having crossed blades with entities such as the Black Dragon God Sovereign and the Shou'an True Immortal, among other superlative figures.

It's no wonder he spoke such a disheartening word—the Emperor and Earth Mother, even at their peak, may not necessarily be his match.

Had it not been that, after their defeat in the past, they were tightly bound to the battle armor of the Nine Abysses Great Emperor, forced to share life and death, the Blood Demon would now have already fled thousands of miles away. Before being subdued by the Qianhuan True Person, it could stir up wind and rain in the mortal world for so long, half of which relied on keen eyesight. If one cannot win, why insist on fighting?

The Soul-Capturing Mirror was about to speak when He Lingchuan suddenly opened his eyes, frightening it into swallowing its words.

Did the Emperor hear? Oh dear.

But He Lingchuan, having just opened his eyes, urgently said to the little stone figure: "Return to the Secret Realm, quickly!"

Even the Blood Demon was startled: "Your wound..."

The Emperor's wound has not yet healed!

At most, at most sixty or seventy percent!

It could even see a trace of black smoke still lingering in the wound, indicating that the annihilation power had not been completely expelled. If this thing is not eradicated at the root, it will easily resurge later.

Especially since the Nine Abysses is about to face a new round of great war—where would it find the energy to deal with this?

"Too late!" He Lingchuan stepped forward and vanished from the spot.

Does he not know that if you don't kill the snake, future troubles will arise? Yet every breath he spends resting in place, people are dying in the Panlong Secret Realm; now the Great Yan Heavenly Pearl has reached the brink of shattering—how could he possibly rest easy waiting longer?

The little stone figure had just risen and not yet taken a step when it suddenly made a "crack" sound and shattered into scattered sand and stones on the ground.

Merely a small avatar—it had never been in such a sorry state before.

A wounded Nine Abysses Great Emperor, and an Earth Mother whose life force is nearly depleted—this is preparing to face one of the strongest true gods of the two realms—

Jia Luo Tian!