Using the charcoal fire, Chen Juenian refined a ‘Recreation Pill’ in the fire pit.
Refining pills in a charcoal fire?
This was widely considered an impossibility, not to mention that Chen Juenian was using ordinary charcoal fire, not a cultivator’s spiritual flame.
Yet, Chen Juenian was precisely capable of accomplishing this impossible feat.
Looking at the pitch-black pill in his hand, Chen Juenian closed his eyes and then placed the pill into his mouth.
After the pill dissolved, within moments, Chen Juenian felt a sharp pain erupt in his abdomen.
The abdomen was the location of the Spiritual Root and Dantian.
Now that the Recreation Pill had taken effect, his cultivation base had completely dissipated.
Enduring the pain with formidable willpower, the sweat-drenched Chen Juenian finally managed to stand up, leaning on the table.
Was there any change?
He didn’t know now.
In any case, things couldn’t get any worse.
—
“Jiong’er…”
Watching her mother collapse in the pouring rain, the six-year-old Xuanyuan Jiong was utterly powerless.
She could only lean over her mother’s side, gently shaking her, hoping she would stand up, pat her head, and say, ‘I’m fine now.’
“Promise me… don’t blame your father… okay? He…”
A flash of lightning, followed by a thunderous roar, and her mother never spoke another word.
—
How could there possibly be a Foundation Establishment Peak stage demon beast within the Mortal Realm?
After a fierce battle, the sixteen-year-old Xuanyuan Jiong, outnumbered and alone, was forced to flee from the swarm of demon beasts.
Her body trembled uncontrollably, not just from her injuries, but also because it was raining.
A flash of lightning illuminated her figure in the darkness for the demon beasts to see.
—
Was she going to die?
Forcibly attempting a breakthrough to the Refining Void stage was equivalent to defying the heavens, not to mention the inner demon constantly dredging up her painful memories.
Drops of blood seeped from the corner of her mouth and fell to the ground.
If she continued to be bewitched by the inner demon and abandoned circulating her spiritual energy… she would die from spiritual energy backflow.
Who could save her?
Her father, who placed the clan above all else?
Nian’er…
Her reason for forcibly attempting this Refining Void breakthrough was simply to ensure her child would have her as a reliable support in the future.
With the power of the Refining Void stage, she could fully protect her child, allowing him to live a carefree life under the Nine Heavens Beyond the Sky.
In truth, she had always known that even in nine years, Chen Juenian would have no hope of breaking through the Foundation Establishment stage—so she wanted to become stronger herself.
The stronger she became, the sooner she could take Chen Juenian away from the Xuanyuan Clan, cutting short his destined life as a tool.
As time passed, Xuanyuan Jiong’s mind grew increasingly unsettled; she was even beginning to hallucinate.
In the hallucination, she successfully broke through to Refining Void, but Chen Juenian remained as before.
Still young and beautiful, she could only watch as Chen Juenian aged bit by bit.
A hundred years later, she would personally bid farewell to her most beloved child.
“Cough, cough—”
The inner demon seemed to have found her true weakness, using Chen Juenian as a flame to lure Xuanyuan Jiong, this willing moth, to throw herself into it.
Chen Juenian would die, would die before her.
A sense of despair flooded Xuanyuan Jiong’s mind.
Without Chen Juenian, what meaning did her own life hold?
Her greatest wish every day now was simply to see Chen Juenian’s figure…
“Mother, look up.”
Following the voice, the vacant-eyed Xuanyuan Jiong saw Chen Juenian smiling at her.
“Nian’er suddenly wanted to come keep Mother company tonight. Is that okay?”
Chen Juenian took out a handkerchief and wiped the blood from Xuanyuan Jiong’s body.
Currently, most of her senses were blocked by the inner demon; she could almost only see him with her eyes and hear faint sounds.
“Mmm…”
“Nian’er has found a way to cultivate again. Although I have to start over from the beginning, this time I definitely won’t get stuck at the Qi Refining Late Stage.”
As he spoke, Chen Juenian scooped Xuanyuan Jiong up in his arms.
“Nian… er…”
“I’m listening, Mother.”
Xuanyuan Jiong pressed her entire body against Chen Juenian, as if afraid of losing him—
She truly was afraid.
Ever since Chen Juenian appeared in her world, she suddenly realized that her world seemed to contain only this child she had picked up.
Watching him grow day by day was the greatest happiness of her life.
“Nian’er… I’m sorry to you…”
“What are you saying, Mother? There, there, it’s time to sleep. Nian’er will sleep with Mother tonight. Doesn’t Mother want Nian’er by her side the most?”
After carrying Xuanyuan Jiong to the bed, Chen Juenian also climbed onto the bed.
He couldn’t possibly leave rashly before Xuanyuan Jiong lost consciousness.
What he needed to do now was stabilize Xuanyuan Jiong’s mind, to prevent her from being further bewitched by the inner demon.
Inner demons typically appeared when a cultivator was attempting a breakthrough to the Spirit Transformation or Refining Void stages.
At this time, the cultivator’s strength was not yet sufficient to casually crush it, nor were they weak enough to casually abandon their cultivation to stop its mischief.
Clearly, Xuanyuan Jiong, who had placed her whole heart on him, now had to be saved by him personally.
“…”
After Xuanyuan Jiong fell unconscious, Chen Juenian quietly and swiftly got out of bed.
He then took out an ink brush and began setting up an array formation.
Currently lacking spiritual energy himself, he had to borrow external force to enter Xuanyuan Jiong’s spiritual consciousness and help her escape.
An array formation that could use spirit stones as its core was the best choice to temporarily allow Chen Juenian to draw upon spiritual energy.
After laying down the Spirit Gathering Array, Chen Juenian activated it.
The surrounding spiritual energy surged wildly into his body.
He could feel this uncontrolled energy rushing through his meridians.
But he could only grasp a small portion of it for his own use.
Still, it was enough.
Enduring the swelling pain, Chen Juenian placed his hand on Xuanyuan Jiong’s forehead and sent his own spiritual consciousness into hers.
—
“Nian’er—!”
In the endless darkness, a despairing Xuanyuan Jiong was searching for Chen Juenian’s figure.
He had just been lying beside her, but in the blink of an eye, he had vanished.
Fear born from Chen Juenian’s disappearance enveloped her spiritual consciousness.
Just as she was wandering blindly in the darkness, almost on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion, a pair of hands steadied her shoulders, then gently pulled her to lean against a solid form.
A strand of white hair brushed past.
Xuanyuan Jiong saw her child.
Although his hair had turned silver-white, her intuition would never deceive her.
“Nian’er… I thought…”
“I could never leave Mother behind.”
While comforting Xuanyuan Jiong, Chen Juenian struck a palm strike towards the endless darkness.
With just one strike, the endless darkness was completely shattered, along with the inner demon that had sought to kill Xuanyuan Jiong.
‘My spiritual consciousness hasn’t changed at all…’
Surprised, Chen Juenian quickly lowered his head to check Xuanyuan Jiong’s current state, and he discovered—
She had fallen asleep.