Chapter 1078: Healing

Han Wuxian coldly watches the kneeling Lao San, who is pounding the ground like crushing garlic, no hint of pity in his eyes, only icy indifference. He slowly lifts his poisonous jet‑black, slightly trembling right hand, and Dark Gold Material struggles to condense a faint glint in his palm.

"You sect cultivators… when you slaughtered me… did you ever think… to give me… a way out?" Han Wuxian's voice is hoarse and icy, each word bearing bone‑chilling cold.

Lao San's kneeling motion suddenly freezes, the color drains from his face, and only boundless despair remains in his eyes.

He jerks his head up, a flash of final madness flickers in his eyes, as if ready to gamble his life!

Yet Han Wuxian's move is even faster!

Snort!

A weak yet refined dark golden edge, like Death's sigh, instantly pierces Lao San's brow!

The madness in Lao San's eyes instantly solidifies, then turns hollow; his body collapses limp, a dark red spot at his brow, no breath left.

Beside the wind‑snow howling impact crater, silence finally settles completely.

Only a heavy scent of blood lingers in the icy air.

Han Wuxian can no longer hold on, his body sways, and he collapses heavily onto one knee in the snow. The poisonous numbness has spread to his shoulders, his right arm feels as if wasted. He gasps laboriously, each breath like pulling a bellows. The Dark Gold Material glow on his skin dims to the extreme, almost merging with his flesh.

He clings to the last thread of consciousness, eyes sweeping over three corpses, finally resting on the Jade Box that fell from the Eagle Hook Nose cultivator's embrace, flashing dangerous red light. He laboriously shifts, picks it up with his left hand, without looking, and thrusts it straight into his tattered chest.

Then his gaze turns to the storage bag at the Eagle Hook Nose cultivator's waist.

Must leave here! The recent fight's noise and blood scent could attract others at any moment!

Using his last strength, he crawls to the bodies of the Eagle Hook Nose and Lao San, crudely tears off their storage bags. Then, near Lao Wu's corpse, he fumbles and finds his storage bag.

After doing all this, he feels darkness flashing before his eyes, the weakness from poisonous overload and overexertion like a tide ready to drown him completely.

He struggles, trying to stand, but his legs feel as if filled with lead, the poisonous numbness making control over his body increasingly weak.

"Can't… fall here…" Han Wuxian bites his tongue tip, sharp pain bringing a brief clarity. He looks toward the distant, snow‑covered mountain ridges beyond the crater, discerning direction. It points away from Azure Scale Peak's sphere of influence, toward the deeper, desolate reaches of Nan Ting Mountain Region.

He no longer tries to stand, but uses his still‑functional left hand, dragging his poisonous‑numb right side like a dying reptile, inch by inch, laboriously crawling out of the crater. The Dark Gold Material‑coated left hand scrapes the snow, leaving a winding trail of golden blood, jet‑black poison blood and slush.

The wind and snow seem stronger, howling, trying to mask the blood and the struggling figure on the snowfield.

Icy snowflakes strike his face like grit; each breath brings lung‑tearing pain and heavy blood scent. The right side of his body is completely numb, as if not his own; only the left arm can barely support, each scrape forward exhausting all remaining strength of Han Wuxian.

Behind, the huge impact crater and the three bodies gradually being covered by thin snow blur in the howling storm. Yet he dares not stop. People from Azure Scale Peak could appear at any time, and worse, the three Star Guard corpses, like maggot‑like foot‑bones, may not have truly been discarded!

"Can't… stop…" Han Wuxian roars in his mind, crimson‑gold eyes filled with blood vessels from poison and weakness, vision already blurring. The Dark Gold Material glow on his skin dims to the utmost, barely maintaining a thin protective film that blocks the bone‑chilling cold and lingering cosmic radiation, yet offers little defense against the internal raging Bone‑Eating Azure toxin. The black‑purple hue has spread to his shoulders and neck, the numbness like an icy tide constantly eroding his consciousness.

He laboriously discerns direction, crawling toward the "Falling Star Cliff" deep within Nan Ting Mountain Region, more remote and perilous. There the terrain is treacherous, spiritual energy thin, beasts roam, few humans tread— the only relatively safe hideout he can think of now.

Time drifts slowly amid endless pain and howling wind‑snow. The sky grows darker, lead‑gray clouds press lower, the storm intensifies, nearly merging heaven and earth into a chaotic white. Snow deepens, Han Wuxian's crawling speed wanes, the trail of golden blood, jet‑black poison blood and slush quickly covered by fresh snow.

The poisonous erosion and depletion of strength make his consciousness flicker like a candle in wind, bright then dim. Shadows appear before his eyes; besides the howl of wind‑snow, faint hallucinations echo— the Star Guard's cold command, Xiao Ran's final resolute gaze, the dying scream of an Azure Scale Peak cultivator…

"Hold on!" Han Wuxian clenches his teeth, the blood‑tinged taste on his tongue bringing a faint clarity. He uses the last sliver of spirit, probing the three storage bags hanging at his waist.

Those are spoils scavenged from the sect cultivators.

The storage bag space is small, its contents far from abundant.

Some low‑grade Spiritual Stones, few in number; several bottles of ordinary healing pills and Qi‑recovering Powder, low grade; a few spare Accumulation Devices and talismans; plus some beast materials, spirit‑herb ores and other odds and ends.

Han Wuxian smiles bitterly in his heart.

Indeed, he is a penniless sect cultivator; this little stash is a drop in the bucket for him now. Yet he does not give up, the spirit carefully scans every corner.

Finally, deep inside the Eagle Hook Nose cultivator's storage bag, he discovers an item stored alone in a cold Jade Box. Opening the Jade Box reveals three dragon‑eye‑sized, perfectly round, emitting faint fire‑element energy fluctuations, crimson pills — "Fierce Sun Pill"!

A faint glimmer flashes in Han Wuxian's eyes!

Fierce Sun Pill! This pill is quite famous in Nan Ting Mountain Region, not a holy healing item, but contains pure fire essence, usually used to aid cultivation of fire techniques, or to ward off cold in extremely frigid places.

Its effect is domineering and fierce, placing great strain on the meridians, even possibly scorching internal organs; ordinary cultivators rarely dare to take it.

But now, for Han Wuxian, whose body is plagued by the cold poisonous Bone‑Eating Azure and whole‑body icy numbness, this domineering fire essence may be the only hope to counteract the toxin and forcefully extend life! Though the risk is huge, possibly worsening the injury, it is a sliver of survival in a hopeless situation!

"Bet… everything…" Han Wuxian shows no hesitation. He laboriously pulls out the cold Jade Box with his left hand, opens it, grabs a Fierce Sun Pill, without looking, and shoves it straight into his mouth!

The pill melts on entry, turning into a scorching torrent, like magma surging into the throat instantly!

"Ugh!" Han Wuxian lets out a suppressed painful groan! The domineering heat of the medicine feels like countless red‑hot steel needles, instantly piercing his depleted, cracked meridians! Wherever it passes, excruciating pain! The poisonous‑numb right side of his body seems thrown into a furnace, sending waves of heart‑rending burning and ice‑fire agony!

Pfft!

He violently spits out a mouthful of blood, this blood no longer pure gold but mixed with black and crimson, emitting a foul and scorching odor! It is the part of toxic blood forced out by the Fierce Sun Pill's power!

Effective! But also extremely painful!

Han Wuxian feels all five organs being scorched by fierce fire, meridians like branding iron, pain nearly causing fainting. Yet he bites his teeth hard, crimson‑gold eyes filled with blood vessels, yet unleash an even stronger will to survive!

He endures inhuman torment, guiding the raging fire essence inside, actively striking the areas corrupted by Bone‑Eating Azure, the black‑purple numbness!