Chapter 160: Rest and Recuperation

The four rode sword light, carefully weaving through the shattered mountains and rivers of the Greenwood Ancestral Land. They came with hope but also apprehension; returning, though burdened with heavy wounds and exhaustion, they gained two substantial harvests and a firmer resolve.

True Person Lingxiao's injuries were serious; he had forcibly suppressed himself to save Shi Ran, and also expended mental energy collecting Ghost Marsh Soil and Netherworld Crystal Core. Now his face was as pale as paper, his breath somewhat unsteady. Most of his mental focus went to suppressing the surging blood and restless old wounds within him, and the task of controlling the sword was mainly delegated to Luo Changfeng and Wei Yuzhu, who took turns.

Shi Ran was awake, but her body was extremely weak, her origin damaged, her sea of consciousness having undergone a catastrophe, needing careful nurturing. She leaned against Wei Yuzhu; the black pearl on her brow was like a cold brand, constantly reminding her of the danger lurking within. She strove to keep her mind clear, silently opposing the restless will of annihilation.

Luo Changfeng and Wei Yuzhu were also exhausted in body and mind, yet now they bore the heavy responsibility of leading everyone to safety, and both summoned twelvefold spirit. Luo Changfeng's sword light was steady, his mental sense extended outward, vigilant for any threat that might rush out of the ruins. Wei Yuzhu carefully attended to Master and her junior sister, while constantly observing the surroundings, seeking a relatively safe path.

The Greenwood Ancestral Land was vast and boundless, danger lurking everywhere. They had fought their way in, leaving many traces; on the return they must be more cautious, lest they draw stronger beings or trigger unknown prohibitions.

After flying about a day, they gradually approached the outskirts of the ancestral land. Here vitality was relatively sparse, the ruins more dilapidated, but the omnipresent ancient pressure and feeling of death had not lessened much.

"Master, there seem to be residual spatial fluctuations ahead, not very stable." Luo Changfeng suddenly halted his sword light, pointing to a distorted canyon ahead left, filled with spatial rifts.

True Person Lingxiao rallied his spirit and focused his gaze. He saw that above the canyon, light refracted abnormally, faint traces of void turbulence leaking out. Yet deep within the chaotic spatial fluctuations, he sensed a thread extremely weak, utterly at odds with the Greenwood Ancestral Land, yet relatively tranquil.

"It is… the entrance to a small world, or perhaps a fissure in a broken space." True Person Lingxiao pondered, "Judging by its fluctuations, it seems to have existed for a long time, but is extremely unstable, possibly collapsing or shifting at any moment."

Wei Yuzhu worriedly said, "Elder, your injuries need immediate rest, and Shi Ran's condition is not suited for long travel. If we could find a safe place…"

True Person Lingxiao understood her meaning. Carrying his serious injuries and Shi Ran's weakness, forcing a passage through the dangerous outskirts of the Greenwood Ancestral Land to return to the sect or seek a known safe outpost would be far too risky. This unstable spatial rift before them, though full of unknowns, might be an opportunity.

"Risks and opportunities coexist." True Person Lingxiao made a swift decision, "Changfeng, come closer; I will probe with my mental sense. You two prepare for any contingency."

Luo Changfeng controlled his flying sword, cautiously approaching the spatially chaotic canyon. True Person Lingxiao closed his eyes, extending a thread of highly refined mental sense cautiously into the turbulence. His mental sense was like a tiny boat navigating stormy seas, needing to dodge the lethal void rifts while sensing the condition on the other side of the fissure.

This process consumed immense mental energy; True Person Lingxiao's forehead again beaded with cold sweat. After a moment, he withdrew his mental sense, his face showing a trace of weary joy.

"How is it, Master?" Wei Yuzhu asked hurriedly.

"The other end of the fissure indeed connects to a fragment of a small world." True Person Lingxiao said slowly, "It is not large; the laws of heaven and earth are incomplete, and its spiritual aura is far weaker than that of the Greenwood Ancestral Land, even somewhat thin and barren. But… there seem to be no powerful living spirits there, the environment relatively simple and stable. Most importantly, I sense a valley within where the aura is relatively tranquil, suitable for temporary refuge."

"So we can enter to rest and recuperate?" Luo Changfeng's eyes lit up.

"We can give it a try." True Person Lingxiao nodded, "But remember, this unstable fragment of a small world may have its entrance close at any moment, and its interior could harbor unknown dangers. After we enter, we must first secure markers and a retreat at the entrance, then quickly find that valley and set up a defensive formation."

The plan settled, the four hesitated no longer. True Person Lingxiao, gritting through his wounds, personally acted, using exquisite spatial magic to temporarily stabilize the most violent turbulence at the entrance. Luo Changfeng led the way, sword in hand, rushing into the fissure; Wei Yuzhu brought Shi Ran close behind; True Person Lingxiao took the rear, withdrawing his power at the moment of entry, whereupon the fissure underwent a violent twist and instantly reverted to its original chaotic state, as if no one had ever entered.

Passing through the fissure was brief yet uncomfortable, like experiencing momentary weightlessness and compression. The next instant, the four felt their vision brighten, finding themselves in a wholly new environment.

Before them lay a dim, gray world. The sky was a dull leaden hue, without sun, moon, or stars; light came from unknown source, uniform but lacking vitality. The ground showed a lifeless yellowish-brown; vegetation was sparse, mostly low, drought‑resistant shrubs and moss; the air carried a faint dusty smell, and the spiritual aura was indeed pitifully thin, even inferior to ordinary barren hills outside.

"What a desolate place." Wei Yuzhu whispered, having sensed the surroundings; indeed she detected no strong life fluctuations, only some faint breaths like insects.

"After all, it is a fragment of a broken world; to maintain basic stability is no small feat." True Person Lingxiao surveyed the area, his mental sense sweeping quickly, "According to my earlier sense, that valley should lie in that direction."

He pointed to a distant, continuous range of hazy mountain shadows.

The four did not dare delay, immediately flying low toward that direction. All along the way they saw only desolate scenery: dried riverbeds, weathered rocks, occasional pale bones of unknown creatures, adding to the desolation.

After flying about half an hour, they finally reached the valley True Person Lingxiao had mentioned. The valley entrance was narrow, flanked by steep rock walls; its interior was not large, yet compared to the surrounding desolation it showed hints of green—a faintly glowing moss covering parts of the cliffs, and at the bottom lay a small pool exhaling wisps of cold air.

"This terrain is easy to defend, hard to attack, and though this spring is cold, it contains a trace of pure water spiritual energy that helps steady the mind." After observing, True Person Lingxiao nodded satisfactorily, "We shall set up our formation here to rest and recuperate."

Luo Changfeng and Wei Yuzhu immediately sprang into action. Both were elite disciples of the sect, versed in formation arts. They took out various formation flags and disks, using the cold pool as the center, combining the valley's terrain, and began laying a comprehensive defensive concealment formation.

True Person Lingxiao sat cross‑legged on a relatively flat stone, first taking a few healing spirit pills, regulating his breath through cultivation to suppress his injuries. He needed to regain some strength quickly to cope with any possible changes.

Shi Ran was placed on a soft moss patch near the cold pool. Wei Yuzhu carefully laid out bedding for her and fed her pills to warm the meridians and calm the soul. The faint chill emanating from the pool seemed to help suppress the annihilation black pearl on her brow, making her feel considerably clearer.

"Shi Ran, how do you feel?" Wei Yuzhu asked with concern.

"Much better, Senior Sister Wei." Shi Ran forced a smile, "The chill here seems to calm that thing a bit."

Wei Yuzhu exhaled in relief: "That's good. Rest easy, don't think of anything—you have your Master and us."

The formation was quickly completed. A thin veil of light rose, enveloping the whole valley; the veil flowed and soon blended with the surroundings, so that from outside it looked like an ordinary cliff face, and mental probing would be twisted and misled by the formation's power.

With the formation set, everyone felt a little easier. Luo Changfeng placed a warning prohibition at the valley mouth, then returned to the valley to stand guard beside True Person Lingxiao, acting as his Dharma protector.

Time flowed silently in this gray little world. Unknown how long—perhaps a few hours, perhaps a whole day—True Person Lingxiao slowly opened his eyes. His face remained pale, but his breath had steadied considerably, and the light in his eyes reconverged.

"Master, how do you feel?" Luo Changfeng asked promptly.

"The injuries are temporarily suppressed, but full recovery will still need time to rest and suitable medicinal herbs." True Person Lingxiao rose, stretched his limbs, and gazed over the valley, "This place may be remote, yet it is safe. Let us take this opportunity to rest properly and also deal with this harvest and subsequent matters."

He first went to Shi Ran's side and carefully examined her condition. Her origin, nourished by the vitality of the source fruit, was slowly recovering; the wounds in her sea of consciousness were also healing, but the annihilation black pearl on her brow remained a great hidden danger.

"Shi Ran, though the annihilation origin within you is suppressed, it is deeply entwined with you, almost part of you." True Person Lingxiao's expression grew grave, "Forcibly tearing it away is impossible, and might even provoke a backlash. The only way now is to rely on your own will, aided by external power, to gradually refine and master it."

"Refine? Master?" Shi Ran's eyes flickered with bewilderment and fear; the icy, mighty ancient consciousness still left her with lingering dread.

"Not bad." True Person Lingxiao affirmed, "Annihilation is also one of the Great Dao, not wholly evil. If you can wield this power with your own will, turning calamity into opportunity, you might indeed turn misfortune into blessing and walk a unique cultivation path. Of course, this path is extraordinarily perilous; a slight misstep could bring eternal ruin. But as your teacher, I have faith in your nature."

Saying this, he took out the jade box sealing Ghost Marsh Soil and Netherworld Crystal Core. "Ghost Marsh Soil is extremely yin in nature, able to block spiritual power and mental sense; it may have a special restraining or containing effect on annihilation force. After I study it, I might be able to forge you an auxiliary implement to help you daily suppress and refine that annihilation origin."

Hearing the Master's encouragement and gaining new hope, Shi Ran's gaze grew firm again: "Understood! I will certainly strive, never failing to live up to the Master's expectations and the efforts of my senior brothers and sisters!"

Having comforted Shi Ran, True Person Lingxiao turned his gaze to Wei Yuzhu and Luo Changfeng.

"Changfeng, Yuzhu, in this expedition to the Greenwood Ancestral Land you have performed superbly, remaining calm in crisis, helping each other wholeheartedly; as your teacher I am greatly reassured." True Person Lingxiao praised, "You two have also expended considerable energy; take this chance to train and consolidate your skills. Yuzhu, by guiding the vitality of the Greenwood Source Fruit, your insight into the Dao of Life should have deepened another layer—ponder it carefully. Changfeng, your sword intent, honed in battle with those skeletons, ought to have progressed; you must diligently sharpen it."

"Yes, Master (Elder)!" The two replied in unison.

Arrangements settled, True Person Lingxiao began his work. He first carefully studied the properties of Ghost Marsh Soil and Netherworld Crystal Core, trying various attributes of spiritual power in contact, observing their reactions, and also cautiously separating a thread of annihilation death‑qi (the faint breath emanating from Shi Ran's brow black pearl) for testing.

Indeed, as recorded in the classics, Ghost Marsh Soil has a powerful devouring and isolating effect on spiritual power and mental sense. The Netherworld Crystal Core, meanwhile, is a condensed mass of yin‑cold energy, its interior resembling a tiny netherworld. When the annihilation death‑qi approached the Ghost Marsh Soil, it was not devoured; rather, it seemed to have found a home, becoming somewhat gentler, while the soil itself faintly emitted an accommodating aura.

"Excellent!" True Person Lingxiao's eyes flashed with realization, "Ghost Marsh Soil does not counteract annihilation; it can 'contain' and 'still' it! Like the earth burying all things to return to tranquility—this may be the key!"

In his mind a prototype for the implement gradually formed. He intended to use the Netherworld Crystal Core as the core, combine it with several other yin‑type spiritual materials, and forge a 'Soul‑Settling Annihilation Seal' or similar implement to help Shi Ran daily seal her annihilation origin and assist her in refining it.

However, forging such an implement requires tranquil preparation, and his injuries are not yet healed—it will not be done overnight. For now, his foremost task remains to recover himself.

In the days that followed, the four, in this nameless fragment of a small world, entered a tense state of rest and cultivation.

True Person Lingxiao spent most of each day meditating to heal his wounds; in his leisure he would deduce the scheme for forging the implement, or guide his disciples in cultivation.

Besides attending to Shi Ran, Wei Yuzhu deeply contemplated the life‑way resonance brought by the Greenwood Source Fruit. She found that although the fruit's vitality had been largely consumed, the remaining pulp still bore some connection to her, giving her a finer perception of plant growth and the flow of life. She even tried to stir the faint vital spark of the valley's luminous moss, and indeed managed to make it grow more luxuriantly.

Luo Changfeng continually drilled his sword techniques, digesting the experience of battle against strong foes. In this desolate land his sword intent seemed to have taken on a hint of bleak solitude, becoming more refined and pure. He often stood guard at the valley mouth, one hand watching, the other practicing his sword, his figure appearing to merge with this gray world.

The greatest progress, surprisingly, was made by the most seriously injured Shi Ran. Under True Person Lingxiao's guidance, she began to try actively communicating with the annihilation black pearl on her brow—not to oppose it, but to guide and master it. This process was extraordinarily difficult; each contact of her mental sense felt as if it would be swallowed anew by that icy death‑stillness. Yet her will was firm, relying on her strong will to live and her trust in the Master and her senior brothers and sisters, she time and again pulled back from the brink of collapse.

Gradually, she discovered that when her mind was as still as water, facing that annihilating power without fear, the reaction of the black pearl also became much calmer. She could even guide out faint wisps of annihilating qi, swirling around her fingertips; although it could not be used against enemies, it was a symbol of initial control. The cold air of the icy pool had a remarkable effect on stabilizing her mind, and she would sit by the poolside for a long time each day.