Hengyun Technology Building.

Seventh sublevel.

After being struck head-on by the Dragon Drill, Luo Xiu's body was sent flying backward in a straight line from the immense force. Just like Luo Ying, whom he had sent flying with a punch moments before, he instantly crashed through a distant glass wall. Amidst the shattered glass, Luo Xiu convulsed and writhed, struggling for some time before recovering.

His head was now covered in blood. A ghastly wound on his forehead was so deep that his pale, blood-streaked frontal bone was visible. There was even a deep gash on the exposed bone itself!

However, this was the best possible outcome for him. The moment he was hit by the Dragon Drill, he had reacted with his fastest reflexes, throwing his head back to narrowly avoid the fatal blow. Otherwise, the Dragon Drill would have undoubtedly pierced his skull.

What kind of monster is this Luo Ying, anyway...? In my current state, subduing her without killing her is clearly impossible. If there's really no other way, I'll have to kill her. But she... Ugh. Maybe I should draw my sword. But if I do, I'm not sure I can control the Sword Spirit of Dream and Asura. If I lose control, the entire provincial capital will probably be turned into a living Hell.

As Luo Xiu's thoughts raced, the staggering figure of Luo Ying appeared in the devastated room. Her silhouette was hazy in the lingering smoke. His previous punch had clearly injured her, and she was still bleeding. However, Luo Xiu noticed her wounds were healing at a rate visible to the naked eye—several times faster than Zeng Xin, whom he had faced in the finals of the Grand Martial Assembly.

Luo Xiu struggled to his feet, spat out a mouthful of clotted blood, and his body suddenly began to emit a cyan Spiritual Energy. In an instant, a powerful and despair-inducing pressure enveloped the entire area! The entire seventh sublevel seemed to tremble with it.

He stared at Luo Ying and said in a weak voice, "I don't know what your story is... perhaps you really do have some connection to me. But right now, you're just one of the living dead, and I have to kill you. In a way, this is a release for you. It will spare you from the torment of those people."

At that moment, Luo Xiu had made his decision.

But just then, Luo Ying stopped in her tracks. The resentment and venom in her eyes had vanished. She stared blankly at Luo Xiu, her delicate body trembling slightly as tears streamed down her face. The cyan Spiritual Energy emanating from Luo Xiu seemed to have stirred her humanity, and her memories.

Seeing her tear-filled eyes, a sharp pain, like a twisting knife, shot through Luo Xiu's heart.

She can cry... she has emotions... This means Luo Ying isn't truly dead; she's not just a walking corpse!

In that instant, Luo Xiu's newfound resolve wavered. But just as he prepared to move forward and subdue her by force, she turned and fled.

Luo Xiu took a few steps in pursuit but collapsed powerlessly to the ground. He was already severely wounded, and now, that damn illness had to flare up at this exact moment! Even someone as strong-willed as Luo Xiu couldn't help but writhe on the ground, screaming in agony until he fainted.

...

The first thing Su Shenyun did upon returning to the ground floor was to have Tang Hong'e and Yun Wanzhou lead people to evacuate the nearby crowds. Listening to the incessant booming coming from the large hole in the ground, her heart was in her throat.

During what felt like an agonizingly long wait, the terrifying sounds gradually subsided. Suddenly, a graceful figure leaped out of the massive hole.

It was Luo Ying!

Luo Ying was incredibly fast. Before anyone in the lobby could react, she had dashed out the main entrance and vanished into the bustling streets.

"Master!" a frantic Ye Ningxue cried out, rushing forward and jumping into the hole.

Su Shenyun and Sun Li followed close behind. All three women were on tenterhooks. Luo Ying was out, but what had happened to Luo Xiu?

Shortly after, when the three women returned to the seventh sublevel, they found Luo Xiu lying in a pool of his own blood. Su Shenyun rushed over to check on him, and her delicate body shuddered. Luo Xiu's breathing was faint, like a candle in the wind, threatening to be extinguished at any moment.

"No... Don't," Su Shenyun began to panic. "Luo Xiu, wake up!"

After her mother's death, she had wandered the slums abroad as a little girl, experiencing all sorts of cruelty. Ever since then, she had never been so flustered or anxious for anyone. Whether it was herself or others—whether they were injured, bleeding, or dying—she could always face it calmly. But this man before her was different.

At this point, Ye Ningxue and Sun Li were also in tears.

"Help Master sit up! I can save him!" Ye Ningxue suddenly declared, having made a decision.

Su Shenyun seemed to guess her intention and looked at her in disbelief.

A moment later, Su Shenyun and Sun Li were on either side of Luo Xiu, helping him sit cross-legged. Ye Ningxue sat cross-legged behind him, tore open the back of his shirt, and pressed her palms firmly against his back. As a few moments passed, a look of pain crossed Ye Ningxue's face, and her delicate body began to tremble.

Su Shenyun asked in shock, "Is this the Ye Family's Blood Essence Sacrifice Technique?"

Ye Ningxue didn't answer, concentrating solely on transferring her own Blood Essence Vitality to Luo Xiu. At this moment, nothing was more important than her master's life.

As time dripped by, Ye Ningxue's beautiful face grew haggard. Wrinkles appeared at the corners of her eyes, and streaks of silver began to appear in her jet-black hair. Su Shenyun knew that if this continued, Ye Ningxue would age rapidly, and could even die. Every generation of the Ye Family's weaponized soldiers had been created through the Blood Essence Sacrifice Technique. This was also why Ye Ningxue, at such a young age, possessed the strength of the Gathering Spirit Realm.

PUFF...

Suddenly, a muffled sound came from within Luo Xiu's body. At the same time, Ye Ningxue's delicate body shook. The Blood Essence Vitality she had been channeling into him was instantly repelled, not a single trace having been absorbed. Once the repelled energy returned to her, Ye Ningxue, who had aged moments before, quickly reverted to her original appearance.

"No... This is impossible!" Ye Ningxue cried, her eyes trembling as she looked at Luo Xiu in disbelief, tears streaming down her face.

Sun Li quickly asked, "What's wrong with Xiu?!"

Ye Ningxue's gaze was vacant. She clenched her sleeves, biting her lower lip hard. After a moment's hesitation, she said in a trembling voice, "Master... I've discovered that his meridians were ruined long ago. His internal organs, his eight Extraordinary Meridians... they've all been corroded by some strange energy. He... he won't live much longer. I could feel all this through the feedback from my Blood Essence Vitality, but that strange energy inside his body repelled mine."

Looking at Su Shenyun and Sun Li with teary eyes, she choked out, "Master must have... he must have suffered from this terminal illness since he was a child. Otherwise, his meridians wouldn't be corroded to this extent. I don't know how he's managed to survive, but if it were anyone else... they definitely wouldn't have made it."

Her words were like sharp spikes, piercing deep into the hearts of Su Shenyun and Sun Li. Their minds went blank, as if struck by lightning.

Su Shenyun suddenly reached out with trembling hands and gently pulled Luo Xiu into her embrace, her heart aching so much it felt like it would shatter.

No wonder. No wonder he always looks so sickly and is too lazy to do anything. He's been enduring the torment of this illness every single day! And yet, he always put on a strong front for everyone. He'd claim he wasn't interested or didn't want to get involved, but he was still willing to go through fire and water for the people he cared about.

Ye Ningxue abruptly stood up. "To the Ye Family! We have to take Master to my grandfather, immediately! Maybe he can think of a way! Master is dying, we have to go now!"

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