Chapter 686: Ling Shuang Severely Injured! Absorbing Divine Blood!

In reality, if the White Wolf of the Azure Sky had personally searched, the probability of finding Ling Shuang would have been much higher.

But to it, the Sect of Heavenly Fate was merely a swarm of ants.

Simply helping to seal the space was already a great favor.

To expect it to search personally? That's impossible.

This is the arrogant attitude most ferocious beasts hold toward the Sect of Heavenly Fate.

Merely food—no special treatment needed.

Even if in a bad mood, killing them all outright isn't a big issue.

The high-ranking members of the Sect of Heavenly Fate naturally understood this situation.

Yet they still gladly, willingly served their so-called "Sacred Clan."

They denied their own human identity, believing themselves to be members of the Sacred Clan.

Yet it was laughable—the ferocious beasts never regarded them as equals.

"Yes!" The Heavenly Demon bowed respectfully.

Only after three or four minutes did she slowly rise, her delicate teeth gently biting her red lips, and ordered:

"Form groups of one Red Cardinal each, and search the 120-kilometer radius according to the White Wolf Lord's command!

She forcibly used spatial energy, suffered severe injuries, and her strength is now greatly diminished—once found, kill her immediately!"

Although Ling Shuang's escape angered her, she could only do her best to make amends now.

Fortunately, as members of the Sect of Heavenly Fate, they need not fear ferocious beast attacks while traversing the wilderness, allowing them to move at full speed.

Otherwise, searching the 120-kilometer radius would truly be difficult.

Crackling—

Deep within the wilderness of the Great Ocean Continent, inside a cave.

A brilliant golden thunderbolt, roughly the size of a basketball, floated suspended above the cave's highest space.

Serving as a light source, it freely radiated light in all directions.

Xu Jingming had already restored his original appearance.

Seated cross-legged on the ground, his breathing steady, he silently practiced his energy cultivation method, absorbing Yuan energy to restore his condition.

Unlike last time, this time the amount of divine blood to absorb was immense, and it came from a ninth-rank apex king-level ferocious beast.

Without fully restoring his condition, he dared not even begin absorption.

Yet at that moment, the space talisman card he kept close to his body grew slightly warm.

"Hmm?"

Confused, Xu Jingming opened his eyes, but hadn't yet pulled out the talisman card.

Before him, the space blurred—and a slender woman clad in black battle armor appeared out of thin air, falling down.

"Teacher Ling?" Xu Jingming's expression turned startled.

In an instant, he lunged forward and caught Ling Shuang before she could hit the ground.

"Little Sword!"

A low command—and the thorned sword grass rooted nearby sprouted vines, instantly forming a soft bed.

"Teacher Ling, are you alright?"

Xu Jingming hurriedly asked as he placed her on the bed.

Though he didn't know what had happened, from Ling Shuang's aura alone,

her condition was clearly poor, her face pale.

"Jingming, it really is you."

Seeing the familiar, resolute face before her, Ling Shuang—who had just escaped death—felt an inexplicable sense of peace.

She sat up from the bed, shook her head gently, and said softly:

"Nothing serious—just my energy and bloodline completely depleted, leaving me weak."

To escape, she had poured all her bloodline energy into the spatial beast bone.

As for her spatial energy, it was nearly entirely exhausted.

"I have Heavenly Spirit Spring."

Xu Jingming quickly pulled a small porcelain bottle from his space ring.

He removed the stopper, and immediately a faint medicinal fragrance drifted out.

Heavenly Spirit Spring, an SS-grade heavenly treasure, is the upgraded version of the S-grade Earth Spirit Spring.

Earth Spirit Spring only strongly restores energy for below sixth-rank cultivators.

Heavenly Spirit Spring is different—it can be used even by ninth-rank cultivators.

Xu Jingming had bought it long ago as a precaution, never expecting his first use wouldn't be for himself, but for Ling Shuang.

"Heavenly Spirit Spring? I have some too."

A faint shimmer from her space ring—and a vial of Heavenly Spirit Spring appeared in Ling Shuang's hand.

After taking a small sip, her pale complexion immediately flushed with color.

"Good."

Xu Jingming nodded, puzzled: "Teacher Ling, did you encounter a ninth-rank beast emperor? How did you end up in such a state?"

Logically, even a ninth-rank beast emperor shouldn't have driven Ling Shuang to this.

"It was indeed a ninth-rank beast emperor—but it's also tied to the Sect of Heavenly Fate."

Shaking her head, Ling Shuang briefly recounted the events.

"The Sect of Heavenly Fate's ninth-rank martial saint lay in ambush—so your mission was a trap from the start," Xu Jingming analyzed.

"That's true, but our immediate priority is to return to Mocheng as quickly as possible."

Ling Shuang's lovely face bore a faint trace of worry, her expression grave:

"The Sect of Heavenly Fate will surely search for us—the longer we wait, the higher the chance of being found.

But the surrounding space is sealed—we can't teleport. We must run back on foot."

The ninth-rank martial saint's Heavenly Demon was manageable; the real threat was the White Wolf of the Azure Sky.

With that spatial variant beast around, she always felt a prickling sense of danger.

And the spatial beast bone in her hand had just turned to powder—no longer usable.

If they encountered the White Wolf of the Azure Sky again, it would mean certain death.

"Alright, let's leave now."

Without hesitation, Xu Jingming said directly.

Though he longed to absorb the divine blood immediately, since the Sect of Heavenly Fate was following, returning first was better.

"Not yet—I need to recover a bit of my spatial energy first. That way, if we meet the Sect of Heavenly Fate, I can still fight."

Ling Shuang said softly.

She could sense that though the surrounding space remained sealed,

it was only teleportation that was blocked—using spatial energy in battle was still possible.

"Teacher Ling, how long will you need to recover?" Xu Jingming asked hesitantly.

"About seven or eight hours. Why?" Ling Shuang asked, puzzled.

Her physical injuries were minor; with Heavenly Spirit Spring, she could fully recover in three or four hours.

But her spatial energy had been completely drained—recovery was extremely difficult; seven or eight hours might restore less than half.

"Seven or eight hours? That's enough."

Xu Jingming smiled and explained: "I found some divine blood from the Thunder Tyrant King—I want to absorb it before we leave."

Last time, absorbing divine blood took about six or seven hours; now that his physique is stronger, it shouldn't take that long.

Plus, after absorbing it, my strength will increase again—I'll be able to directly kill an eighth-rank Grand Master.

And escaping will be easier too.

"You obtained divine blood suited to you? Your fortune is indeed good."

Ling Shuang nodded slightly, flicked her jade hand—and a ripple of spatial energy instantly enveloped the cave entrance:

"Absorbing divine blood will cause a disturbance—this way, no one will notice."

"Thank you, Teacher Ling!"

Xu Jingming's eyes lit up—he pulled out the 500-liter divine blood from his space ring and levitated it with his mental force.

Thus, in the middle of the cave, a crimson blood cluster nearly one meter in diameter appeared.

PS: The next chapter might be flagged by moderation—please wait a bit. If it is, I'll have to revise it...