Chapter 972

Just as Xu Jingming was about to fly forward to investigate, a soft snort came from his side.

Su Qingli had awakened.

Her previously dull eyes gradually focused, yet her expression still carried the haze of someone just waking from sleep.

"Where am I…?" Su Qingli looked around, bewildered.

"Teacher Su, are you alright? I've cleared all the void creatures."

"But since you've just escaped the illusion, you might need some time to adjust."

Xu Jingming moved to Su Qingli's side.

A vast spiritual force surged out, carefully sensing.

Her physical condition was good, and her spiritual force had suffered no damage.

She simply hadn't fully regained her awareness yet.

"Void creatures… an illusion?"

As a ninth-rank Law Saint, Su Qingli's spiritual force was inherently strong.

At Xu Jingming's reminder, memories blurred by the illusion suddenly flooded back into her mind.

"So… all of that was just an illusion…"

As Su Qingli gradually sorted out the situation, a complex expression surfaced on her fair, delicate face.

In that illusion,

she had married Xu Jingming, even given birth to a son and a daughter, living a quiet, happy life.

But now, all of it was empty…

Unconsciously, Su Qingli turned her gaze toward Xu Jingming.

At this moment, Xu Jingming was still in his Lei Lei Bao Tai's enhanced state.

His towering, muscular frame, over three meters tall, delivered a powerful visual impact.

His slightly bulging chest and broad back left no doubt about the strength of this physique.

"Teacher, what's wrong?" Xu Jingming looked at her, puzzled.

"N-nothing."

Su Qingli's delicate face flushed slightly, and she quickly shook her head.

She had been feeling somewhat melancholic, but seeing Xu Jingming reminded her of what had happened in the illusion.

High-rank psychics find it far more difficult to conceive offspring than ordinary psychics.

In the illusion, to give birth to that son and daughter, she had put in considerable effort.

She had even experienced Lei Lei Bao Tai countless times…

Thinking of this, Su Qingli's face grew even redder, and she unconsciously pressed her legs tightly together.

"I have some Anshen Fluid—would you like some, Teacher?"

Xu Jingming felt Su Qingli's gaze at him was strangely odd.

Worried her spiritual force was damaged, he quickly pulled out a bottle of pale green liquid from his space ring.

Anshen Fluid, an S-rank resource, nourishes the spirit and aids cultivation.

He still had many such S-rank resources among the space rings he seized from Qiao Lin and the others.

"No, thank you."

Su Qingli shook her head again, feeling a pang of shame.

How could she tell Xu Jingming her condition wasn't due to spiritual damage, but because she'd imagined something bizarre?

How could she maintain even the little dignity she had left as his teacher?

"Come to think of it… have I really been yearning for romance? Otherwise, why would the illusion be like that?"

Su Qingli's mind swirled with thoughts.

Since childhood, she had devoted herself entirely to cultivation, never even holding hands with a member of the opposite sex.

This illusion had shaken her far more than she could have imagined.

After a long while, she finally calmed all her emotions.

Taking a deep breath, her beautiful eyes regained their clarity, and she spoke softly:

"Let's go see the thunder sphere."

An illusion is just an illusion—once awakened, it's merely a dream.

But her father's aura was no lie—her father was likely inside that crimson thunder sphere!

"Alright, let's first check the remains of the void creatures before we go." Xu Jingming nodded.

"Remains? Aren't void creatures aggregates of spiritual force? How could they leave behind physical remnants?"

"I don't know—we'll have to wait for Eva's analysis."

Shaking her head, Xu Jingming flew forward with Su Qingli, who was equally puzzled.

He quickly gathered all the liquid left behind by the dead void creatures.

The amount was small—only about five hundred milliliters.

"Eva, can you analyze what this substance is?" Xu Jingming asked.

"Wait a moment."

Vast streams of virtual light shot from Eva's body, covering the liquid.

Only seconds later, she exclaimed joyfully:

"It's Yangshen Fluid! SSS+ rank resource!

Yangshen Fluid repairs and refines spiritual force—it was a specialty of the faction founded by the Void God."

After the Collapse of the Divine Void, the output of this resource plummeted—yet it turned out to come from void creatures!

Eva, though an intelligent lifeform, was not omnipotent.

She did not know the origin of mysterious resources like Soul-Nourishing Elixir, which came from the forces of supreme experts.

"Oh? So these void creatures weren't killed in vain."

Xu Jingming raised his sword-like brows.

Resources tied to spiritual force were exceedingly rare, let alone this SSS+ grade.

In value, it might rival some low-tier SSR-grade resources.

"It's a pity there are so few void creatures—we only collected five hundred milliliters. If only we could get more."

Xu Jingming sadly stored the Soul-Nourishing Elixir in his space ring, then flew with Su Qingli toward the crimson lightning sphere.

Crackling—

As they drew closer, the thunderous roar grew louder.

The entire lightning sphere radiated astonishing energy fluctuations; even a single crimson lightning arc could shatter nearby minor spatial fissures.

"Teacher, I sense no human presence within the lightning sphere."

Xu Jingming, having scanned the entire sphere with his spiritual force, murmured.

Su Qingli also frowned deeply, her expression anxious: "I don't sense it either. But my father's aura definitely comes from this sphere—I won't be mistaken."

"If my sensing isn't wrong... could it be possible that this lightning sphere is Senior Su?"

Since the sensing can't be wrong... could it be possible that this lightning ball is Senior Su?

"You mean... elemental transformation?"

Su Qingli's beautiful eyes lit up—this was indeed possible!

But another problem arose.

If this were normal elemental transformation, Father should have awakened upon sensing our arrival—this state is clearly abnormal.

"Senior Su vanished four years ago. I don't know when he arrived here."

"At the extreme end—four years of constant spiritual force consumption by void creatures."

"Senior Su's consciousness has likely sunk into deep slumber..."

Senior Su's consciousness has likely already fallen into slumber...

Spiritual force is the manifestation of one's consciousness.

Minor damage to spiritual force causes only inattention or drowsiness, like staying up for several nights.

Severe damage to spiritual force leads directly to unconsciousness—or worse, becoming a living corpse.

"The likelihood is high. We could try medicinal remedies for spiritual damage."

Su Qingli nodded, preparing to retrieve such medicine from her space ring.

Then she saw Xu Jingming directly pour the Soul-Nourishing Elixir into the crimson lightning sphere.

"Jingming, what are you—?" Su Qingli gasped in alarm.

"The one who tied the bell must untie it. I believe the Soul-Nourishing Elixir born from dead void creatures will greatly aid in awakening Senior Su," Xu Jingming smiled.

"That's true, but the Soul-Nourishing Elixir is too precious—we should try other medicines first," Su Qingli said regretfully.

Knowing how rare this resource was, after returning to the Xinhuo World, it might be exchanged for some SSR-grade resources.

That way, Xu Jingming's strength could rise further.

"It's just a bit of Soul-Nourishing Elixir. If it awakens Senior Su, then it's worth using," Xu Jingming smiled.

"Jingming..." Su Qingli's heart warmed at this sight.

Along this journey, Xu Jingming had helped her far too much.

Without him, even if she reached this place, she would have fallen into permanent slumber from the void creatures—and died.

Now, he had unhesitatingly used this precious Soul-Nourishing Elixir.

This debt, she feared, she could never repay in a lifetime...

As she was moved, Xu Jingming beside her suddenly said: "Teacher, there's movement!"

Su Qingli's heart leapt with joy as she turned to the crimson lightning sphere.

Indeed, she sensed a consciousness slowly awakening!

Just seconds later, a wave of spiritual force, filled with disbelief, erupted from the sphere, echoing through the entire space:

"Xiao Li, how are you here? Am I dreaming?!"

"Xiao Li, how are you here? Am I dreaming?!"